


Talking is Hard

by badwolfofbakerstreet



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Beach, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Angst, Bobby is married to Ellen, Do you know that band?, Do you like them?, First Time, Fluff, IT'S DELICIOUS, Ice Cream, Jo is their daughter, John Winchester is an alcoholic asshole, M/M, Surprise! - Freeform, Then you'll like this fic, They're young things at the beach, Walk the Moon, angsty, but fluffy sexy stuff, cause I like that, hopefully, it makes me happy, not really - Freeform, not smut, sexy stuff, there's angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-24
Updated: 2015-10-23
Packaged: 2018-04-05 23:40:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 38,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4199484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badwolfofbakerstreet/pseuds/badwolfofbakerstreet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel Novak moves to a beach town with three of his older brothers. To supplement their income, he begins working at an ice cream shop called 'Bobby's'. There he meets the Winchester brothers, the older one, Dean, immediately grabs his attention. If only they could work past their own personal demons, they might have a chance at happiness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Different Colors

**Author's Note:**

> This story is based off of Walk The Moon's album, 'Talking is Hard'... It's loosely based I mean. The song titles are going to be the chapter titles, and if you want to listen to the songs, go right ahead. I'm using the premise of them to create the theme's of the chapters. 
> 
> ^_^

The summer breeze brought with it a break from the humidity that made it difficult to breath. With one fist clasped tightly around his emergency inhaler, Castiel Novak took in his new surroundings. Rehoboth Beach, Delaware laid before his eyes, the beach was nearly empty this time of day, and it was peaceful. It was something he could get used to. 

His brothers were in their new house behind him, unpacking boxes (which he couldn’t, for fear of dust inhalation). So he stepped outside to catch the breeze and watch the sun rise over the beach that was his new backyard. 

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Castiel’s older, and in all honesty, favorite, brother, Gabriel, stepped outside. He tucked back a loose strand of his slightly longer than it should be hair and clasped a hand onto Castiel's shoulder, “Whenever they used to bring us here as kids, we’d all come out to watch the sun rise and dad-” Gabe’s voice broke slightly and Castiel sent his brother a knowing look. It was difficult to talk about their father. 

“He used to pretend he’d been reeling in the sun with his fishing hook.” Their older brother, Lucifer, was leaning against the door frame, smiling sadly at them. Castiel looked at his brother, the only ginger in the family, and returned the expression. Lucifer sighed, “Boxes are all empty, should be safe for you to come back in.” Then he was gone and Castiel looked at Gabriel. 

“I don’t remember that.” He furrowed his brow.

“No, _you_ wouldn’t.” Gabe rested his arm around his brothers shoulders as they headed into the house, “We haven’t been here since you were a baby.” 

The smell of waffles infiltrated his senses and he knew that Michael must be carrying on their family tradition of a big breakfast their first morning in a new house. As military brats, they moved around a lot, and as such, he was accustomed to the morning feast and was grateful for the nostalgia. 

They formed a sort of line to get the various breakfast items and sat around the table big enough for the four of them. Michael, the oldest, tallest, and, by his own proclamation, best looking of the four, sat at one end of the table, Lucifer sat adjacent to him. Gabriel sat next to Castiel and they began digging into their first home cooked meal in their new house.

“Yes, Gabriel, you can have my bacon.” Castiel smiled at his brother who was eyeing the crispy strips hungrily. He took them and quickly shoved them into his mouth, not wasting a single crumb.

“So Cassie,” Lucifer asked around a mouthful of omelette, “What will you be doing today?” 

“Well, Lucy, if you _must_ know...” Lucifer smiled at his brothers sarcastic reply, “I will be looking for a summer job. Just something easy to make some money so you don’t have to support me completely.” 

“We already told you, you won’t have to do tha-” Michael began, but Castiel held up a hand. 

“I know I don’t _have_ to. But I want to. I don’t want to be cooped up in this house all summer long with Gabriel.” 

“Hey! I'm a joy to be cooped up with.” Gabriel pushed at his brother jokingly.

"Who told you that lie?" Lucifer asked and the laughs that broke out amongst the four of them were more soothing than the breeze that he sought earlier that morning. But when it died, the ache it left in its wake was worse. Much, much worse. 

The brothers hadn’t been the same since it had happened... Castiel was the first to excuse himself from the table and retire to his new room. 

Castiel stared at himself a bit too long in the mirror... He was pretty tall for an 18 year old, but then, all his brothers were taller than him, so he couldn’t really talk. The Bermuda shorts he’d chosen were a bit shorter than they’d been the previous summer. His blue tank top was new, so it looked good and fit him perfectly, his eyes stood out a bit more because of it. He sighed, it was a beach town, he didn’t have to wear a suit and tie to get a job, but it didn’t stop him from feeling underdressed. 

“What, no trench coat?” Michael was leaning in his doorway as he began putting on his shoes. 

“That thing is old and raggedy now, why won’t any of you let me live it down?” Castiel asked, stepping around his brother and out into the hallway. 

“Live what down?” Lucifer asked, catching the tale end of the complaint. 

“The trench coat.” Michael replied, holding back a smile. 

“Oh!” Lucifer laughed, “Maybe because you wore it daily for three years? Even in the summer!” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Castiel growled as he made his way down the stairs and away from his laughing brothers. He stopped in front of a mirror by the front door to check his hair; it was as unruly as ever and he knew there was nothing he could do to fix it. He walked out the front door and into the summer sun. 

The boardwalk of Rehoboth Beach was small and it seemed to be dotted with ice cream shops. People were hot and needed cooling off, he supposed. The biggest one on the corner seemed to be swarming with people. As it was the first actual day of summer, it seemed only natural that a lot of tourists would flock to the shores of Delaware. The shop had a large red sign on top, ‘Bobby’s’, it said, had a huge help wanted sign in the window. Castiel shrugged, they seemed to be getting plenty of business, they should be able to pay decent.

He turned into the shop as a group, more like a swarm, of children came pouring out. The line was small but the tables were full and those that weren’t occupied were dirty. Castiel took the sign from the window and waited his turn. A large man with a beard, a trucker hat and a flannel shirt stood behind the counter looking completely out of place. His name tag said, ‘Bobby.’

“Can I help you?” He asked, Castiel set the sign on the counter.

“It’s how I can help you that interests me. I’d like a job.” He smiled the best he could at the man who sighed and ducked under the counter. Castiel furrowed his brows at this until he came back up, brandishing a job application. 

“Just go sit down and fill this out. I’ll be with ya in a minute...” He leaned around Castiel and looked at the small line that had formed behind him before looking back to the eager young applicant, “Or two.” Castiel nodded and walked quickly to the nearest table, pulling the pen he brought with him out from behind his ear and sitting down, getting to work on his application. 

It was the first form he’d filled out since the incident, and he blanched for a moment when it got to emergency contacts. He figured Michael counted as one and Gabriel counted as another. He didn’t want to write down Lucifer’s name for fear of someone from the ice cream shop remembering his brother. He used to wreak havoc on Rehoboth beach. 

The small bell above the door jingled and Castiel glanced up in time to see a rather tall individual walk in, looking frazzled. 

“Sam! It’s about time you showed up.” Bobby shouted, sounding unamused, “It’s just been me and poor Jo this whole time.” 

“I know, Bobby, I’m sorry. I got held up.” The boy, Sam, hurried behind the counter and quickly put on an apron, taking over Bobby’s place at the register. Bobby began walking out towards the tables, “Wait, where are you going?” 

“We’ve got an applicant, see.” Bobby snarked, as he reached Castiel’s table and held out hands as if he were presenting him to the boy. 

“Oh, great!” There was no sarcasm in his voice, he seemed genuinely happy that they had someone interested in the job. _Gee, they must really need help_. Castiel thought to himself. Bobby sat across from him and he slid his form over the table top to the older man who took it gladly. He looked over it and made small ‘hmms’ and mumbled to himself as he read it. 

“Castiel _Novak_ , huh?” Bobby said and Castiel winced, hoping he wouldn’t be connected with his delinquent older brother, “You wouldn’t happen to be Chuck Novak’s youngest, would ya?” Castiel’s went breathless for a moment, hearing his fathers name. In his eighteen years he’d never heard someone refer to his father as ‘Chuck.’ He’d always been _Sir_ or _Charles_. 

“Yes I would.” Castiel said shortly, clearing his throat and looking around in hopes that this would throw Bobby off the topic, but he only narrowed his stare and leaned across the table. That’s when Castiel saw it, the picture across the room hanging next to the soda fountain. A much younger Bobby next to a much younger version of his father. He sucked in an unsteady breath as he took it in, his father had been here. 

“He’s a great guy. Invested some money in this place a while back when I was starting out. Without him, we wouldn’t be here.” Bobby smiled widely, “‘Course I’ll give ya a job. Wouldn’t hear the end of it if I didn’t.” He held out his hand for Castiel to shake, and when he did he only just realized that the man across from him referred to his father in the present tense.

“Thank you.” Castiel said, ready to flee. 

“Tell yer dad I said hello, and tell him to get his ass down here to see me.” Bobby stood and Castiel tried to move but was suddenly glued to his seat; he hadn’t had to tell anyone about his dad, this would be his first time talking to anyone who wasn’t his family about the incident, “Uh, Castiel?” Bobby asked, waving a hand in front of the boy’s face. He snapped out of his trance then and stood up quickly, unwilling to meet Bobby’s eyes. 

“I would, only... He um...” Castiel cleared his throat awkwardly, scratching at the back of his neck, “He’s not...” 

“Not what? Not here? Not...” Bobby’s voice trailed off then, he seemed to catch on just fine, “Oh...” He slowly fell back into his seat and Castiel shoved his hand into his pocket and began squeezing his emergency inhaler, looking down at his feet. His eyes were beginning to sting and he tried to blink back the tears, “When?” The shop owner asked, his voice had dropped a few decibels. 

“A few months ago... Me and my brothers moved out here to get a fresh start. But also to reconnect with the parts of him that we didn’t really know. He spent a lot of summers here growing up, met our mom here... So we felt it was the best place to come.” Castiel nodded as he wiped at his eyes, hoping Bobby hadn’t seen the stray tear that tumbled from his lashes. If he had he didn’t say anything, he merely stood up and stepped closer to Castiel, clapping a hand on his shoulder. 

“You’ll meet lots of people who knew him that probably don’t know he’s gone.” Bobby sighed and patted Castiel’s shoulder before he began walking back to the counter where a large line was now waiting, Sam was having trouble with the register, “Well anyway, the job is still yours if you want it.” 

“Of course I do, thank you.” Castiel smiled gratefully at the older man. 

“You can start tomorrow.” Bobby said and then disappeared behind a large soft serve machine. Castiel looked around the small ice cream shop and then turned around, leaving it in his wake, eager to start work the next day. 

When he arrived at work bright and early the next morning, he’d dressed himself in kakis and a white button up, it was similar to the outfit he’d seen Sam wearing the day before and decided it would be safe. Not like Bobby would care, he’d been wearing flannel. 

He arrived at the shop and the bell above the door sounded like music to his ears; it was his first day of work in a new place with new people who knew his father, and quite possibly his mother. It would be an interesting season.

He immediately noticed two things, first, Bobby was nowhere to be seen. Second, the boy behind the counter was immensely attractive and staring at him looking quite confused. Castiel stared back, looking just as confused. This boy had short light brown hair, his eyes were so intense he could almost make out their green hue from across the room and his lips were, well Castiel couldn’t focus on the lips because they began moving. 

“Who are you?” He asked, the broom in his hand had stilled, Castiel stepped forward. 

“I’m Castiel, I’m starting work here today.” His voice came out a bit hoarser than normal, he had no clue why. He worked to clear his throat as the boy nodded. 

“Alright, Cas.” His confused look quickly turned into a smirk as he regarded Castiel whose stomach flipped at the nickname. He’d only ever been called Cassie by his family members, no one had ever shortened it to ‘Cas’ before. Before he had a chance to respond however, he turned his head and shouted, “Sammy! Get your ass out here!” Castiel grimaced as he heard something metal drop and a shout of pain and then he heard thumping as Sam made his way out of the back room, a towel in his hands. 

“What’s up, Dean?” He turned to the gorgeous brown haired boy, Castiel raised his brows at the name. _Dean._

“Why didn’t you tell me Bobby hired a new guy?” He set aside the broom and eyed Sam warily, “I could have made _him_ sweep the entire place!” 

“Oh, Castiel, right?” Sam smiled at him, “I didn’t know he’d be starting today.” Something about Sam’s tone made Castiel think that he wasn’t being honest. 

“Right, course.” Dean rolled his eyes and walked out from behind the counter, hand outstretched. Castiel took it tentatively, “Dean Winchester, assistant manager blah blah blah.”

“Right, and you know my name now. Castiel... Novak... New hire and such.” Castiel felt awkward, and yet reluctant to pull his hand away from Dean’s grasp. But the other boy dropped his grip first and turned, walking away rather quickly. 

“Come on, Cas, let’s get your paperwork done.” He muttered something to Sam as they passed, and Sam rolled his eyes. 

“Glad you got the job, Cas.” Sam said to him and Castiel gave him a thankful smile as he followed Dean into the back. 

Paperwork was his least favorite part about new jobs. His hand always cramped up at the most inopportune times and he never knew what to fill out for federal withholdings on the I-9. “Confusing stuff, taxes.” He muttered to himself, Dean snorted from behind the small desk where he was making a name tag which read ‘Cas.’

“So, Cas, did I hear you right? You said your last name is Novak?” Dean asked suddenly as he handed over Castiel’s name tag. 

“Y-Yes.” He answered slowly, unsure of whether he wanted to talk about his father again. 

“So then you’d be Lucifer’s younger brother... Right?” Castiel's brows knit together, perhaps Dean was older than he looked. 

“Um, yes.” He replied, unsure of whether he should admit to that. 

“Your brother is a legend.” Dean grinned across the small space, “There are people at the University of Delaware who still talk about the summer that a freshly turned 18 year old Lucifer Novak brought hellfire down upon this town.” He tapped a finger on the desk, shaking his head, as if he was remembering something amazing. Castiel smiled slightly at that, he’d never seen someone talk about his brother with such admiration before. 

“I don’t um... I don’t remember it.” Castiel said awkwardly, “I was only 6 at the time and I just remember my father having to go pick him up from the Rehoboth police department. He was real pissed.” 

“Yeah well I was 11 and I thought he was a God!” Dean exclaimed, throwing Cas for a momentary loop. So he was 23, not that much of an age gap, Cas shook off the thought as soon as Dean began talking again, “But Sammy was your age, he doesn’t really remember it either.” 

“You’ll have to meet him sometime, I’m sure he’ll love it if you sing his praises. He might even show you a trick or two.” Castiel handed over his paperwork with a smile and Dean accepted it in kind.

“Can’t wait.” Dean said, shuffling the papers and then throwing them into a basket, quite carelessly, “That’s Bobby’s basket, all the boring stuff goes in there. C’mon, lets go teach you stuff.” He got up and Cas followed him out of the office.

“So, you go to the University of Delaware?” Cas asked as they made their way back to the front. Sam was arranging bowls into piles and he let out a small yelp of laughter but quickly cleared his throat. Dean shot him a look and then turned to Castiel. 

“Sometimes.” Dean smirked, Castiel couldn’t figure out what he meant for the life of him, so he shrugged and began paying attention to what Dean was now trying to show him on the register.

The next few hours were spent learning how to use said register; Sam was very patiently letting Cas learn where everything went, any time a customer came in, he’d take the order and get it started, allowing Castiel to ring it up. After the first few tries, he’d begun to understand the machine. It was oddly high tech for such an old place, didn’t seem to match Bobby’s personality at all. Cas would have thought he’d have a hand operated register still. 

“You know, a lot of people think that.” Sam said when Castiel revealed his thoughts, “It’s really not up to him, though. I have a lot to do with the technology, as does his daughter.” 

“Jo doesn’t have as much to do with it as you think she does.” Dean butt in as he came back from his lunch break, still eating a quarter of a cheeseburger. 

“Sure she does. She’s the one who asks him for the updates. If it was left to me, we’d never get anything new.” Dean shrugged but agreed and Castiel became very confused. 

“So you two aren’t Bobby’s sons?” He asked, they looked at one another and then burst into laughter. 

“No, we’re not.” Sam smiled, leaning against the counter. It was oddly slow for the day, Castiel attributed that to the fact that it had recently begun raining. 

“But you _are_ brothers?” He received a quirked brow from Sam. 

“Yeah, how’d you know?” 

“He calls you Sammy.” Cas shrugged, the brothers looked at one another, slight confusion crossing their faces. 

“Yeah, but most people think we’re involved romantically when he does that.” Sam scoffed, “It’s disgusting. So, thank you for recognizing us for what we are.” 

“It was easy... My brothers have their own special nick name for me as well.” Castiel hunched his shoulders slightly, as if he was nervous to begin talking about his family, though he was the one that brought it up. 

“Brothers?” Sam asked, interested. 

“Oh, yeah, he’s a Novak. You know, like Lucifer.” Dean smiled from where he’d hopped up on the back counter, his tone was almost bragging that he’d figured this information out before Sam.

“Oh! I know your family!” Sam exclaimed, turning back to his brother and giving him an eye roll about his current location, “Yeah, our mom used to play bridge or something with your mom... You know, before the... Incident.” Sam cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably, Castiel’s heart dropped, he hadn’t expected anyone to know. 

“Bobby told you?” He asked and Dean and Sam both opened and closed their mouths as if to speak, but didn’t say anything. 

“Huh?” Dean asked after the silence went on for too long, “What do you mean? We told him.” 

“But you couldn’t have known about my mother-” Castiel began to say frantically and Dean hopped off the counter, his hands flying up to stop Cas.

“Woah, woah, wait, _your_ mother? We were talking about _our_ mother!” He said, Castiel tilted his head slightly and shot them a very confused look, his brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed; Dean smiled for a moment at him. 

“Yeah, we didn’t know there was an incident involving your mother.” Sam said, trying to make the situation better if it had accidentally become a bit awkward. 

“Oh.” Cas shrugged, “What happened to your mother?” 

“She died in a fire when we were kids... Sammy here was just a baby, so when he says he _knows_ your family, he’s lying. He knows the stories my dad has told us.” Dean slapped his brother on the back and smirked as he turned back to the counter, hopping back up and grabbing a pack of crackers.

“You were only 4, so shut it.” Sam said, shaking his head.

“I’m so sorry.” Castiel said, his brow furrowing even more than it already was. He didn’t know what else to do so he ran a hand through his untidy hair, it only served to make it more messy. He caught the tale end of another smile from Dean’s direction as he looked at Sam, “My mother didn’t die in a fire.” 

“Well that’s good.” Sam said, not succeeding at all in his quest to make the situation not awkward. He turned to face the front and all three of them stared out at the rain in silence. The beach was mostly emptied and the only places with people were the restaurants; no one wanted to chance going out in a storm to grab some ice cream. But Castiel almost preferred the silence. It was nice to get away from the constant noise that was his home.

“It’s almost three.” Dean said suddenly, breaking their now comfortable quiet, he was hopping off the counter and shoving his phone back into his pocket, “You don’t have to stay, Cas. Bobby and Jo will be in at 3:30 and there won’t be many customers anyway.”

“Are you sure?” Castiel asked, turning back to look at Dean who was removing his apron. 

“Yeah, I’m sure. Sammy can take care of the place by himself for a bit.” He ran around the counter.

“Dean, where are you going?” Sam called after him, Dean turned and winked.

“I got a sudden urgent call.” The door closed faster than Sam could ask him what he meant and Castiel heard the loud scoff. 

“I can stay.” Cas offered, but Sam shook his head and laughed.

“Just because Dean is an unreliable jerk doesn’t mean you have to stay. Get out of here, enjoy the rest of the lovely, rainy summer day.” 

“If you’re sure.” Castiel said, but was removing his apron as he said it. Sam nodded and shrugged.

“Like he said, there won’t be many customers as long as it keeps raining like this, so go ahead and get out of here while you can. See ya soon I guess.” He turned and walked into the back, Castiel remembered then to grab the copy of his schedule that Dean had given him and shoved it into his pocket. He then walked out the door and began running for home.

He was about halfway to his house when he heard an engine revving beside him. 

“Hey!” A voice shouted, he turned to see Dean leaning out the window of an old black car, “Get in, I’ll give you a lift!” Castiel merely nodded and ran for the passenger side. His clothes were already soaked but he didn’t care, he was thankful to be out of the rain.

“Thank you, Dean.” Castiel said as he slammed the door shut behind him. Dean pulled away and started down the road. 

“No problem. You don’t drive?” Dean asked. 

“I don’t live that far, and while I do have my license, we don’t have a spare car.” Castiel looked out the window, not knowing what else to say and really hoping that Dean didn’t ask any personal questions.

“Where uh... Where do you live?” Dean interrupted the silence, Cas laughed and pointed. 

“Just up here, on the corner.” They pulled up in front of the large white beach house, the two cars they owned were parked in the driveway, Dean raised his brows at the large three story with two wrap around porches. 

“Nice digs.” He said, “Much nicer than our house on the other side of town.” He laughed awkwardly and smiled the best he could.

“Yeah, well, military money, you know? My brothers seem to be home.” He said and then he noticed that all his brothers were sitting on the front porch, drinks in their hands, “Oh great.” He said, groaning as he went for the door handle. 

“Those your brothers?” Dean asked, craning his neck to look, his brothers were doing the same, no doubt talking about the car. 

“Yep.” He said, Dean looked at him, and there was a certain gleam in his eye that Castiel didn’t quite understand. In an effort not to overstay his welcome he fidgeted with the door handle and managed to get it open, “Thank you for the ride. I’ll see you at work.” 

“Yeah, see ya.” Dean said, taking a deep breath as Castiel got out of the car and into the humid air. He drove away and Cas began climbing the steps to the front porch where Gabriel was stepping out from under the cover. 

“Guys it’s definitely stopped raining.” He said, and smiled at Castiel, “Cassie, how was work?” 

“Good.” He replied, smiling at his brother. 

“We see you made a new friend.” Gabe remarked, motioning to the tail end of the black car that was disappearing down the street. 

“And he’s driving around in John Winchester’s Impala.” Lucifer said, his brows in his hairline, “Nice car, I tried to nick it during my tour. Didn’t work out.” 

“Clearly.” Castiel said, “Yes, his sons Sam and Dean work at the ice cream shop.” 

“Well good, some friends will do you some real good, Cassie.” Gabriel wrapped his arm around his brothers shoulders, “You know what will do _me_ some good?” 

“Not more alcohol, I trust.” Cas winced at the smell wafting from his brothers mouth and opted for taking his margarita out of his hand. 

“Wrong you are! We should go out tonight. Bar, club, whatever.” He reached for the drink Castiel stole but Michael had already grabbed it and begun drinking from it. When Gabe shot him a look, he simply shrugged and laughed as he kept sipping it.

“And why do you want to do that?” Cas asked. 

“Because I need to find a nice girl to bring home.” Gabriel muttered, Castiel laughed and so did Lucifer and Michael. 

“Girl, boy, whatever.” Lucifer said. 

“It’s usually the latter.” Castiel added. 

“And I’d rather not hear any of that tonight, girl _or_ boy. I don’t discriminate against the noise keeping me up at night.” Michael sighed, “I’ve got a presentation in the morning.” He handed the empty margarita glass back to Gabriel and raised his brows at Castiel before disappearing into the house.

“We’re still gonna go, though, right?” Gabriel asked, Lucifer snorted and took a swig of his beer, Castiel shrugged and half smiled. A night out could be just what he needed.

  



	2. Sidekick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel forces Castiel to come out with him. He needs a wingman. But the guy Gabe chooses just about blows Castiel's mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you know the album by Walk the Moon, you might be expecting a club/bar/dancehall whatever scene to take place during shut up and dance, but hey, I'm not going based off of the lyrics. I'm going based off of the feel of the song. ;)
> 
> Also, I modeled this bar/club after Town Dance Boutique from around where I live. You can google it, cause it's in DC so yeah... There should be pictures... It might help you get a better idea of what the place looks like? Idk, if you want... I think I describe it pretty well.

“Okay so here’s the plan, I play drunk, and Castiel, you’re my wingman, you’re the most important part, you get to act like you have to pee really bad and then leave me with someone you deem responsible.” Gabriel’s smile was wide as they walked up to the large brick building that housed that town’s most happening bar/club scene.

“Why do you always play drunk, little brother?” Lucifer asked, sounding as exasperated as per usual. 

“Because it’s the ruse that works the best!” Gabe exclaimed, “If I can just trick them into letting me feel them up in my drunken state, then they’ll be ok with me feeling them up in my _non-drunken_ state. It’s simple. You two should really be learning from me.” 

“I think Castiel knows how to pick up men on his own, and I definitely don’t need your help in scoring chicks. Thank you.” Lucifer walked up to the doorman first, his ID wasn’t needed and he shrugged back at his brothers. Castiel told them he needed to enter because he was their DD and it worked like a charm, but then, it almost always worked. 

Gabriel walked right up to the bar and Lucifer disappeared as he always did when they went out together. 

“See, this is why I bring you.” Gabe said, “You’d never abandon me like Lucy does.” 

“Unless you tell me to, of course.” Castiel laughed and shook his head, looking around the actually quite large and filled room. There seemed to be a designated dance floor surrounded by a small wall that housed booths. There were more private booths up a few stairs to his left by the bar and behind a turn there was a sign marked stairwell, “Does this place have two floors?” Cas asked, his brow furrowed as he saw a group of laughing people come out from behind said area. 

“Maybe!” Gabriel shouted, the music wasn’t loud enough that he needed to and Castiel had to shield his ear from the vibrations, “Sorry!” He shouted again, Castiel shook his head, it made no sense why he would apologize for being too loud by continuing to be too loud.

“Do you see any options?” Castiel asked, looking around, Gabriel set a soda in front of him and brought his own vodka tonic to his lips, scanning the crowd. There was a blonde girl dancing in the midst of a few other girls, she had on an AC/DC tank top and some short shorts and seemed to be lost in the music. 

“Her?” Gabriel asked, looking to his brother who glanced back in direction he was pointing, Castiel shook his head. 

“No, too young. She’s only 17.” 

“Wh- How do you know that?” Gabriel mused, smiling down at him. 

“No X’s on her hand, no wristband, she clearly got snuck in here just like you used to do with me.” Castiel sipped his soda, it wasn’t just soda. He coughed and put it back on the bar. His hand instinctively went in search of his inhaler, should the coughing become out of hand. But the burning sensation soon went away and he shrugged, taking a sip of the drink again.

“Ok...” Gabriel sighed, beginning his search all over again. This time his eyes landed on a brunette guy in a tight black v-neck. He wasn’t dancing, but was off to the side, chatting up another boy, “Oh, him!? He’s very clearly gay. I could sneak in and snatch him up!” Castiel searched for the direction Gabe was pointing and when his eyes landed on the slightly buff, very attractive brunette, his eyes widened when he realized who it was and he choked yet again on the drink in front of him, “You ok, Cassie?” 

“Yeah!” He said, “But, uh, that guy is clearly taken... You should just, uh, try for someone else.” He cleared his throat again, hoping he hadn’t been too suspicious, when he looked back at Dean he found that his new coworker’s eyes were actually focused on him and he looked away quickly. 

“But he’s coming this way, maybe he likes what he sees.” Gabriel straightened up and took a large gulp of his drink. 

“Cas!” Dean exclaimed when he reached the bar. Castiel closed his eyes and took a deep breath before turning around to look at the guy. 

“Hey, Dean.” He smiled, Gabriel shot him a look, his brows in his hairline, “Oh, uh, this is my brother, Gabriel.” Gabe took Dean’s newly outstretched hand into his own and shook it. 

“How do you know Cassie, here?” Gabriel asked, Dean snorted and raised a brow in Cas’ direction. Castiel rolled his eyes, knowing full well that he’d just told his brothers about Dean Winchester.

“We work together.” Dean said, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he smirked at Gabriel, “You may have seen me drop him off earlier.” 

“Oh the Impala is yours?” Gabriel smiled, “You take great care of that thing.” 

“Yeah, I do.” Dean said but then turned his attention to Cas, “You his DD?” He asked, Castiel nodded. 

“The pleasure of having an underage brother.” Gabriel chimed in, trying to get between Dean and Castiel, but soon realized Dean didn’t have eyes for him. He rolled his eyes and walked away, searching for a conquest.

Dean leaned in suddenly, his arm snaked around Castiel who lost his breath for a moment as his face was almost too close to the other man’s, “Then you won’t be needing this.” Dean said, when he leaned back, he was holding Castiel’s drink. He took a sip and winced, “What the hell did you order?” 

“I didn’t, Gabe gave it to me.” Castiel said, trying to redeem himself, thinking that Dean would be uninterested in him if he thought that he was drinking at a bar underage.

“Well your brother isn’t looking out for your best interest, clearly, this is horrible.” He said, though he downed it anyway, shaking his head and giving a sort of growl, “God damn!” 

“It’s probably Jager and root beer, that's his favorite.” Cas sighed, “Don’t let me keep you from your, um, date.” He said, looking around Dean to where the man that he was just with was now staring him down. 

“Oh him? He’s not my date.” Dean brushed it off and sat down next to Castiel at the bar, they turned their backs on the nosy trick, “Just a guy that I met here last week, he won’t leave me alone.” 

“Did you, um...” Castiel found it hard to word what he was asking, he suddenly felt extremely awkward and wanted to flee. 

“Have sex?” Dean asked, looking at Castiel from under heavy lids, his heart began beating faster, “Yeah. Wasn’t anything special though, he knew the deal.” Cas glanced back to where the guy was storming off in a huff. 

“What’s ‘the deal?’” Castiel found himself asking, Dean turned to him, smirk on his face. 

“Well see, most of the guys I pick up are down for just one night, but I still make sure they know beforehand that I’m not the forever kind of man. So I tell em as much. They usually say ok and we do what we do. Sometimes they leave. Sometimes they agree and then afterword come looking for more. If it’s just for seconds, and the guy’s worth it, I’ll be down. But if it’s what that one wanted, which was a date, I try to find any and every reason to leave.” Dean looked back to the front and the bartender was walking up, he said something that Castiel couldn’t hear and when she came back, she was holding two beers. He took one and handed the second one to the 18 year old, who looked at it and shrugged, taking a sip. It wasn’t as bad as he’d thought, “So thank you for being here, cause you were a good reason to ditch him.” 

“You’re welcome?” Cas half asked, Dean was about to reply when they felt hands snake around their shoulders.

“Hello gentlemen!” Lucifer shouted, “How are we doin tonight!?” 

“Lucifer!” Cas exclaimed, sitting up straighter, he wasn’t sure why his older brothers presence made him nervous about sitting next to Dean, or maybe it was the beer in his hand which was soon being taken out of his hand by said brother. 

“Thanks, bro!” Lucifer said, putting the beer to his lips and beginning to down it, Dean half smiled as he looked up at the man in front of them in half admiration, half awe, “Now who’s this?” He set the empty bottle on the bar and looked from Cas to Dean. 

“Uh, Lucifer, this is Dean, Dean- Lucifer.” He motioned from man to man with his hand and Dean held his out, mid-air, awaiting a shake from the older Novak.

“It’s great to finally meet you.” Dean smiled, but the hand never came and he soon let his drop, clearing his throat and laughing slightly, “I’ve grown up here hearing nothing but stories about you.” 

“All bad, I hope.” Lucifer smirked down at Dean, Dean swallowed thickly, suddenly extremely intimidated by the man. 

“Of course.” Dean half smiled, looking from Lucifer to Cas. He felt the sudden urge to get up and leave, so he did, “I’ll uh, see you at work.” He turned and was gone, Castiel watched him walk away in confusion and didn’t avert his eyes until Lucifer sat down next to him. 

“Don’t go there, man.” Lucifer said, breaking Castiel’s train of thoughts. 

“What?” He asked, turning back to face forward, Lucifer sighed beside him.

“I’ve heard things about that kid.” He was playing the concerned big brother now, not a look that suited him. 

“Like what?” Castiel asked, annoyed. He wasn’t even sure he was into Dean, but the fact that Lucifer was already trying to keep him away from him didn’t help matters. 

“Just stuff. He’s a player, he sleeps with a lot of different guys and he doesn’t care about any of them.” Lucifer was clearly just looking out for his brothers best interest, but Castiel didn’t care. He wasn’t into Dean anyway, why would he care that he’s a player?

“I’m not trying- We work together.” Cas snapped slightly, twisting his hands together atop the bar, “That’s all. We’re... Colleagues.”

“Alright.” Lucifer held up his hands in surrender, backing off of the subject for the time being. Cas sighed and scowled at the bottles on the bar across from him; if he had powers he’d grab one of them and disappear somewhere to be alone, “Where’s Gabe?” He asked, once again pulling Castiel from his thoughts. He looked around but didn’t see his brother anywhere. 

“I don’t know, second floor, maybe?” 

“Be a sport and go fetch him, would ya? This place is getting kind of old.” Lucifer sighed. 

“We’ve only been here 45 minutes.” Cas laughed, Lucifer shot him a look and Castiel shrugged, getting up and going out in search of his brother. He searched through the crowd on the first floor and didn’t find him; there seemed to be mostly females on that level. Girls with friends, just there to dance, and girls with guys who seriously needed to get a room. He shivered and ran off towards the staircase, two turns later and he was on the second floor. This floor was different, darker, louder. There were platforms with dancers on them, the lights were flashing all around and there were mostly same sex couples. 

“Must be the gay floor.” Cas mumbled to himself as he looked around for Gabriel. He found him sandwiched between two rather attractive Spanish women, he laughed and shook his head. When Gabriel saw him he smiled widely, pointing at the women he was with and threw up an ‘A-Okay’ sign, Cas shook his head and beckoned his brother over. Gabe sighed and excused himself, he danced up to his brother. 

“What!?” He shouted, “I’m in the middle of my own real life Casa Erotica!”

“Lucifer wants to head out.” Castiel said, his brows furrowed at his brother. He tilted his head slightly, his blue eyes sparkled in the strobe light and Gabriel knew it was time to go. That Castiel was with Lucifer and they were leaving.

“Alright, alright. Just let me get those girls-” He turned back to where the two girls were but found that they’d all but disappeared into the crowd. 

“You were saying?” Cas asked, slightly amused. 

“Never mind. Let’s go.” They headed down the staircase and rounded the corner, Castiel was looking towards the bar where Lucifer was paying their tab, but something else had caught Gabe’s eye, “Hey, isn’t that the boy you work with?” He was pointing towards the stage. Cas turned and saw Dean and some random guy with their tongues down each others throats. Dean had him sat on stage and was between his legs, there seemed to be no stopping for air. 

“Don’t they need to breath?” Cas muttered, not at all liking the drop in his stomach as he watched them, “Can we get out of here now?” 

“That should be you, Cassie. Why didn’t you go for it?” Gabriel asked as they walked away from the scene and towards their older brother. 

“Because we work together and Lucifer says he’s a player-”

“Blah, blah, blah. I’m not hearing any real reasons here, brother.” Gabriel wrapped his arm around Castiel’s shoulders, “The only reason that isn’t you, is because you’re too good for him.” He said sincerely, Castiel half smiled at his brother, shrugging. They finally were able to get to Lucifer and then they made their way out of the bar. Castiel was apprehensive about going to work the next day.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a shorter chapter, kind of just plot advancement. Nothing really particularly serious happening... I have more! Promise. :)


	3. Shut Up And Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas meets Jo, gets an interesting warning and an even more interesting challenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is short and sweet. Well, not that sweet. ;)

Cas arrived at work the next morning unsure of whether or not he wanted to see Dean. He enjoyed the man’s company, but for some reason the knowledge of his status as a non committal douche bag made him a bit uneasy. He sighed to himself, okay, maybe not a douche bag, but definitely non committal. 

His reservations were put on hold, however, when he walked into the store to find not Sam nor Dean nor even Bobby behind the counter, but instead that same blonde girl from the bar the night before. 

“Castiel, right?” She grinned at him, her blonde hair was tied back and she was wearing a light blue flannel; she obviously got her fashion advice from Bobby. Then it hit him, this must be Jo, she was in the back the day he came to apply, he hadn’t had the chance to meet her yet. 

“I’m assuming you’re Jo?” Castiel asked, walking to the counter. He grabbed his apron off of a hook and began putting it on. 

“Yeah, I am.” She held out her hand, he took it gladly; her kind personality was quite addicting, he was already grinning back, “I don’t usually open, but Dean asked me to, and since I saw who he went home with last night, I’m guessing he’ll be sleeping pretty late.” Castiel did the best he could to smile; he also saw who Dean was going to go home with.

“Yeah, I was there last night, saw it all.” Cas decided to say, unsure why his voice was a bit rougher than normal.

“Really?” Jo asked, half smiling at Castiel, “And Dean didn’t try to take _you_ home? Huh.” She said, her ‘huh’ was sort of a laugh, Castiel furrowed his brows and tilted his head at Jo. 

“Why would he try to do that?” Cas tried to come off as casual, but the smile that Jo brandished then told him that he wasn’t being as coy as he thought he was. 

“Because you’re gorgeous and completely his type.” She shrugged and tucked a loose strand behind her ear. 

“Thank you.” Cas said, slightly taken aback. He was usually looked over due to the fact that he had three attractive older brothers who had about twenty times as much confidence as he did. So guys tended to go for them, though only 1/3 of them was interested in men, and even then only half the time. Castiel got female attention, this was true. He’d dated girls before, but he was never comfortable, never felt 100% himself, “But we work together, it would have been inappropriate for him to try.” 

“You think that’ll stop him?” She asked, her brows raised, “It’s never stopped him before. So... Watch out, he’ll be coming for you. And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay away.” 

“Did you actually opt to come in this morning to try and warn me away from Dean?” Cas asked, smiling slightly, Jo shrugged.

“That’s for me to know and for you to never find out.” She winked, “Now, let’s teach you some opening duties.” 

They worked in tandem for the next few hours, Jo was really lovely and nice; Cas found it easy to talk to her and they were getting along very well. It was about 11 when Dean finally rolled through the front doors, sunglasses on, shirt slung over his shoulder so that his sweat covered chest was showing. 

“This is step number one.” Jo whispered to Castiel as they saw him, she rolled her eyes, “He’s showing off his body, showing you what you’re missing.” Cas looked at her, his brow furrowed and then he looked back at Dean.

“Forget something, Dean?” Castiel asked, Jo looked his way with a smile and a crease in her brow as she shook her head with a small shrug; as Dean stopped and looked around Cas motioned his head for her to look down, and when she did, she had to stop herself from laughing.

“No, what?” Dean lifted the sunglasses and put them on top of his head, still looking around. 

“Shirts work a lot better if you wear them.” Jo sighed, walking out from behind the counter and throwing an apron at him. He fake smiled at her and continued to walk to the counter.

“What did I forget?” He asked, looking at Castiel as he passed him and walked back into the kitchen. Cas waited a few seconds and then a large crash sounded from the same area in which Dean had just entered and he screamed. 

“Figure it out?” Castiel shouted, smiling slightly to himself. Jo walked back behind the counter with arms full of dishes as Dean poked his head out of the back.

“Luckily, I keep a spare pair of shoes here.” He winked at Cas and then disappeared again. Castiel looked at Jo, head tilted.

“This sort of thing happen often?” He asked, she smiled.

“More than you wanna know.” She sighed and then began taking off her apron, “Alright, well I’m out. You guys will be fine, shouldn’t be too bad today, the influx of tourists won’t happen till it’s closer to Independence Day. You might cry that day, it’s _that_ bad.” 

“Great thanks, is it too soon to request off?” Castiel asked, Jo laughed, like really laughed and shook her head. 

“You’re a riot. Dad will love that one, I’ll tell him, he’ll die laughing.” She waved and was gone out the door before Castiel could reply. Dean limped up front a few minutes later, Cas was about to laugh when Dean glared at him. 

“Long night?” He asked instead, Dean’s glare immediately turned into a smirk.

“You could say that.” He sighed, hopping up onto his favorite spot on the counter. Castiel turned to him, his back to the front door, “Speaking of which, where’d you guys go? I looked for you but you were gone.” 

“Oh, Lucifer wasn’t feeling it so we left early.” Cas sighed, trying to keep it cool, but Dean just told him that he looked for him, _he looked for him_.

“That sucks, man.” Dean shook his head, “There were _a lot_ of guys there last night, I’m sure you could have found someone to take home.” He winked and Castiel’s heart beat a little faster.

“How do you even know I’m gay? I could have a girlfriend.” Cas said, unsure of why.

“Oh, so you have a girlfriend, then?” Dean’s question was more of a snarky remark, Castiel sighed and shook his head and the snort in reply confirmed it. 

“I haven’t had a girlfriend since I was fifteen.” Cas rolled his eyes. 

“Oh, so... That’s-- How many years?” Dean pried.

“Three...” 

“So you haven’t dated anyone in three years.” He picked up with the smirking statements again, Castiel shook his head harder. 

“I didn’t say that.” The topic of choice was making him uncomfortable, and he knew it was showing in his stance. His shoulders hunched slightly and his chin was down, his brows were furrowed, he didn’t like where this was going. 

“So someone did a number on you, what I’m trying to figure out is if it was the girl or the guy.” Dean’s head tilted as well as his eyes narrowed at Castiel, the slight squint of the green irises were almost boring into his soul. Cas nearly lost his breath, his hand instinctively reaching for the lump in his pocket, until he realized he’d just been provoked even further. 

“Both.” He said, Dean sat up straight, brows in his hairline, but he didn’t ask anymore questions, it was obvious to Castiel that he was supposed to keep talking, “The girl I dated, Meg... She was this ultimate badass chick, we’d known each other for a while so when we started dating it was immediately intense. I didn’t know who I was, I was in denial about my sexuality, and I used her to create myself this separate identity.”

“So what happened?” Dean asked, his eyes a bit wider. 

“She told me I was gay and dumped me for some older guy with a British accent.” Castiel shrugged, “Her telling me that I was gay was like an epiphany, it was something that I wasn’t willing to accept about myself, so being told about it was sort of better, somehow.”

“So you went out and hooked up with every guy you could find, right?” Dean asked, a smile forming, Castiel shook his head and the smile went away, Dean shrugged but continued to listen. 

“There was a guy, there had always been a guy who I was into. I was just never willing to accept the feelings for what they were. So when I told Balthazar-” 

“Balthazar?” Dean scoffed, “What kind of name is that?” 

“A biblical name?” Cas replied, “I don’t know, it suited him. So anyway, when I told him, he kissed me... Said that he’d been waiting for me to realize it for years. And we got together.” 

“So what happened? Or are you still dating this guy?” Dean shifted slightly on the counter, it was like he was anticipating Castiel’s answer with bated breath. Cas shook it off, that couldn’t be it. 

“No.” Cas shook his head, shrugging, “We dated for two years, but then my Dad died, and it sort of just fell apart.” 

“Woah, wait, your dad died? When?” Dean asked, Cas shut his eyes tight for a moment, unaware that Bobby hadn’t told him, but then again, Bobby hadn’t even told him he was going to start work. 

“A few months ago.” Cas replied shortly, Dean sat up straight, recognizing that Cas didn’t want to talk about his dad. 

“So you’ve only been single a few months?” 

“No, I’ve been single a lot longer than that.” Castiel shook his head, “The last year of our relationship was just us staying together out of obligation. We never really loved each other, not really. I love him as a person, but it wasn’t the kind of romantic, knock me off my feet, steal my breath sort of love that I’m looking for.” 

“Good luck finding that.” Dean laughed, hopping off the counter, “No, what you need is to have fun. Just find guys, take them home. It’ll be a good learning experience.” He leaned forward so that he had to look sideways at Castiel from the front counter.

“I’m not- I don’t...” Castiel struggled, “One of the reasons Balthazar and I didn’t work out was because we never... He went looking elsewhere when I wouldn’t sleep with him.” 

“Oh.” Dean said, frowning slightly as he allowed the implications of Castiel’s statement to sink in, “ _Oh_. So you’re a- A....” 

“Virgin?” Cas smiled, “Yes.” 

“Oh! Alright.” Dean shrugged, the twinkle in his eye was not gone, “I can work with that.” 

“I’m sorry?” Castiel asked, taking a few steps away from Dean. Dean stood up straight and smiled his probably very enticing smile. 

“I’m just sayin, if you ever want to take care of that, I’m your guy.” He held up his hands, as if he were presenting himself. 

“Thanks.” Castiel said, unamused, “How kind of you to offer. But no, I’m waiting.” Cas sighed, “I don’t care if it makes me seem immature, or crazy. I want it to be with the right person. And he just hasn’t come along yet.” 

“Understood.” Dean nodded, “Won’t stop me from trying, though.” 

“I accept the challenge, Dean. Do your best.” Cas held out a hand and Dean took it tentatively. 

“Are you challenging me to seduce you, Castiel Novak?” Dean asked, brow raised. 

“Yes.” Cas answered truthfully, “But you’ll have to do a lot better than walking into work without a shirt on.” 

“Noted.” Dean said, still holding onto Castiel’s hand, “Think of what I do as a dance. The no shirt thing was just the first step. Before you know it, I’ll be Argentine Tango-ing all over the place. You won’t know what hit you.” 

“Argentine tango?” Cas asked, laughing slightly. Dean pulled his hand out of Cas’ grip and tightened his lips into a thin line, mumbling something about fluidity when the front door opened and a few customers piled in. Cas looked back at Dean where he was standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Dean winked and Castiel turned back around, his cheeks aflame.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dean's the kind of guy that watches Dancing With the Stars but doesn't tell anyone. Sam knows though, he doesn't bring it up. ^_^


	4. Up 2 U

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing like a little R&R at the beach... Or an asthma attack...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is from Dean's POV mainly... I think I started switching back and forth at random... So.... Oh Well!! Shouldn't be too hard to follow!

Weeks went by and Dean hadn’t really changed up his game yet. He wasn’t sure of how to approach Castiel. He’d never dealt with a virgin before, in fact, he couldn’t even remember when he was a virgin. Sure he could remember the first guy he took home, but before he turned 20 and realized his attraction, he’d been with nothing but women. Even now he slept with women, but that was only when there weren’t any viable male options around; women were quick, easy to attract, so very gullible. Men were a better chase, harder to smooth talk as they knew every trick in the book. 

Castiel was proving to be no different than the rest of them. Even harder if Dean had to guess. 

Walking into work shirtless was his usual first step, that much was true. But then he usually would continue the shirtless encounters until he was able to touch the other guy without making him uncomfortable. Honestly, his plan had only worked out twice. Guys in bars were much easier to deceive than conquests outside of the dim lighting and loud music. 

He’d never wanted someone so bad as he wanted Cas, though. There was something about him, whether it was his blue eyes or his perpetually chapped lips. Or the hair, definitely the hair. It was always messy, but it suited him so well. Dean supposed that even if it was drenched in water, it would still stick up all over the place. 

Then that got Dean to thinking about Castiel in the shower, which led to him having to take his own shower.

Dean laid in his bed and scrubbed his hands over his face. He could hear his dad stomping around in the kitchen, banging around pots and pans and he sighed; there had to be something he could do to get Castiel to go out with him. 

Fourth of July was coming up, maybe they could go to the annual bonfire and watch the fireworks, that would fulfill Castiel’s romance needs, would it not? Dean shook his head, wanting to provide romance was the first step in a slippery slope that would end with Dean buying flowers and wedding rings and a house and adopting children. Though he supposed if they found a kid with one blue eye and one green, it’d be the perfect mix of him and Castiel. 

“What the hell is wrong with me?” Dean asked aloud to himself, throwing a pillow across the room, it hit the door, which then opened. 

“I don’t know, Dean, what’s wrong with you?” Sam asked, smiling from the doorway. 

“What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at work?” Dean growled, Sam snorted. 

“It’s Sunday and it’s 7:30. Me, Cas and Jo were gonna go down to the beach, wanna come?” Dean’s heart sped up exponentially when Cas’ name was mentioned, he swallowed thickly. 

“Yeah, sure.” He said, hoping his voice didn’t sound nearly as ruined as he thought it did. Sam blinked for a moment and then backed out of the doorway. 

“Alright, come on.” He was gone in an instant and Dean went from smiling innocently on his bed to rummaging around his room for his board shorts and lucky tank top. He found the grey Led Zeppelin shirt lying underneath his board shorts and pulled them both on, ready for his luck to finally be with him, he nearly tripped on his way out the door. 

Castiel was sitting in the backseat of the Impala, Sam was next to him. Jo was upfront. They had a policy in the car, if there was a girl, she got to sit up front, if there were two girls, then it probably wasn’t his car.

The sun was beginning to set over Rehoboth beach as Dean, Sam, Jo and Castiel pulled into the mildly deserted parking lot. There were a few stragglers determined to stay in the sand until they couldn’t see their hands in front of their faces, but for the most part, the tourists had either gone to dinner or retired to their hotels.

There was something oddly satisfying about the creak of his car door opening and the finalizing slam as he climbed out of the Impala. With the beach before him and the town at his back, it was as if he could go anywhere or do anything. And he would want Castiel at his side, much like he was now as they walked into the lukewarm sand. 

He was unsure of it’s purpose, whether he meant to or not, but Castiel’s hand brushed his lightly as they trudged across the uneven terrain. He chalked it up to an accident and moved on. 

They didn’t bring chairs, they didn’t need them; the sand was cool enough to sit on. They plopped down in a somewhat uneven semi-circle, Jo and Sam in the middle with Castiel and Dean on the outer edges, sort of looking at each other. Maybe that’s the way Dean wanted it to be. He couldn’t tell, he was too busy trying to keep his mind off of the blue orbs across the short gap. 

He was supposed to be getting Castiel into his bed, he wasn’t supposed to be feeling things for the guy. Though it was difficult not to. 

“Jess should be here soon.” Sam said suddenly, snapping Dean from his weighing out the pro’s and con’s of falling for Castiel Novak.

“She’s coming?” Dean asked, then felt like an idiot. Of course she was coming, his little brother was head over heels for the girl and they’d only been dating for a few months. His friend Brady introduced them to keep Sam occupied while he tried to go after Jo, who was completely uninterested. 

“I haven’t met Jess yet.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement, but the way Castiel said it was in a questioning manner, his brow was furrowed, his head was tilted. And then his eyes flicked from Sam back to Dean and his stomach flipped, the way those eyes could look through him. He was almost on the verge of feeling self conscious when there were voices from behind them. Dean turned, he saw the group heading for them, there weren’t that many, Dean was happy about that. But it was who was in the group that bothered him the most. 

Jess was in front, almost running to Sam, her blonde hair was tied into a messy bun and she looked perfect, as always. Their greeting was disgusting, Dean had to look away for fear of barfing. When he looked away his eyes caught sight of dark brown hair and his stomach turned in a not so good way. Lisa was just behind Jess, her smile faltered slightly when she saw Dean, but she half smiled and went to go sit on the other side of the circle, a bit farther away. Dean saw Castiel staring at him, his brow creased as he looked from Dean to Lisa, but as soon as he saw Dean looking at him, he averted his eyes. 

The damage was done, he was gonna have to talk about it.

Jo scooted over to Dean immediately after Sam was out of her way, and she leaned in, her shoulder bumping his.

“It’s really lame of her to have brought Lisa.” She said softly, “They know your history.”

“It’s a free beach, Jo. She can come if she wants. Plus...” He looked over to where Lisa was hand in hand with a black guy, they seemed cozy, “She’s got a new guy... She hasn’t had to think of me in years.” Dean dug at the sand for a second before he huffed and stood up, “Gotta pee.” He said and then stormed off across the sand. 

Castiel watched as he did so, and saw him glance back momentarily, though he wasn’t looking at Cas, he was looking at the girl with the dark hair that was behind Cas. He turned and caught the tail end of the girl’s hair as she turned her head back to the front. They’d just exchanged a glance, what the meaning behind it was, he didn’t know. He couldn’t possibly know. 

“Cas, c’mere.” Jo said, beckoning the now alone boy closer. Castiel sighed and crawled over to her, finding standing up in the sand a tedious endeavor, “You ok?” She asked as he reached her. Cas sighed, they’d only just arrived to the beach to ‘hang out’ and already it was ruined by the presence of some random girl. Wasn’t Dean gay? 

“I’m good.” He shrugged.

“You’re a terrible liar, Castiel.” Jo laughed, she brushed her hair out of her face, though the wind was making sure to put it right back where it started. 

“Alright, who’s the girl?” Cas asked, motioning towards the offending female. 

“Lisa.” Jo muttered, “Dean’s ex.” 

“So... Like before he realized...” 

“And after.” She said, “It wasn’t all dandelions and roses. It was tough. He loved Lisa more than anything, he’d been trying to get her for years and when he finally did, they had one good year until he realized that maybe it wasn’t what he wanted. That his eyes were straying towards other guys, not other females.” Jo sighed, “It was messy and there were a lot of tears.” 

“So, they’re friends now, right?” Cas asked, hoping it was a yes, but knowing it wasn’t likely. 

“No. She acts like she doesn’t know him, it’s ok. Dean says it’s better that way. I think it’s because he still loves her, though he swears he doesn’t. Sam says he’s afraid that if he allows himself to love someone again as much as he loved her, his preferences will switch again and he’ll be in the same boat. Which is stupid.” 

“It’s probably that.” Castiel nodded, chancing a quick glance in Lisa’s direction. 

“You could change that, you know.” Jo said suddenly, Cas looked at her, wide eyed, shaking his head. 

“No, I don’t want to change him.” Castiel shrugged, “I want him to want to change himself. I can’t be the guy that forced him to settle down. Then I’d just be a downer. Besides, I thought you said I should stay away?”

“That was before I saw the way he looks at you.” She said, Cas was about to reply when they heard steps approaching through the sand. 

“Whatcha guys talking about?” Dean plopped down next to them, his back to Lisa. 

“Nothing of importance.” Jo said, stretching out onto her elbows and leaning back. She closed her eyes and Castiel looked at Dean, who was staring at him, his eyes narrowed. 

“ _Nothing_ of interest?” Dean asked, his head tilted slightly, there was a slight smile on his face. 

“Uh, no.” Castiel lied, hoping it was a good one. He could barely conceal the smile that was threatening to break out onto his face and Dean’s own growing smile wasn’t helping matters. 

“C’mon.” Dean said, standing suddenly. Castiel stared at him, confused, “Seriously, Cas, come on. Let’s go!” He then began running down towards the water. Jo sat up and looked at Castiel, her brows raised.

“Well, go with him!” She pushed at his back and Castiel stood up, walking quickly down to the shore, but not wanting to run. He didn’t want to broadcast his eagerness to flirt with Dean in front of Dean’s ex. He reached the water and was hesitant to step in. Dean, who was already waist deep, turned back to him.

“What are you doing? Step forward, dive in, c’mon!” His excitement threw Cas off a bit, but he shrugged and stepped forward into the cool water. A shiver ran through him and he figured it was either going to be backing out or diving in, so he did, quite literally. He walked forward until the water was a bit deeper and then he jumped, dove, into a wave. Dean shouted, and when Castiel breached the surface, Dean’s hands were there, ready to splash at the top of the water to show his excitement. 

“You’re being weird.” Cas said, his brow furrowed still. Dean shrugged and moved the surface of the water beneath his hands, effectively pushing water around but not really making it go anywhere.

“I was tired of sitting on the sand with those stuffy people. I wanna have fun, don’t you wanna have fun?” Dean’s eyes were shining in the setting sun and Cas could tell he felt strongly about this. 

“Yes, I want to have fun. Let’s have fun.” Cas glanced over his shoulder to where Jo had joined Sam’s group, the couples. 

“Let her be their fifth wheel, we don’t need em!” Dean said diving into the water, Cas lost track of him until he felt something brush his feet and almost jumped until he realized it was Dean swimming past him and not some strange sea creature. Dean sprang from the water and then began backstroking away from Castiel.

“Hey!” Cas shouted and then began swimming after him. Dean didn’t stop until they’d swam quite a ways away, but Castiel didn’t stop following him, he realized he might just follow him anywhere. 

“So we should probably talk, huh?” Dean asked suddenly stopping, but he didn’t stand from the water, he continued to float on his back. It was low tide, the waves were calm and Castiel shrugged, he slunk down into the water and floated on his back beside Dean.

“I suppose. If you want.” Cas replied, Dean lifted his head and turned to look at him, smirking at his new position but then put his head back into the water and stared up at the pale pink sky.

“Lisa is...” Dean began.

“Your ex.” Castiel finished the sentence, Dean looked at him once again, Castiel wasn’t looking at him, but at the sky, following each new star until he reached the pale moon that was beginning to peek out from behind a random cloud. 

“Yeah.” Dean said, “It was a pretty intense relationship until-” 

“Until you realized you were gay.” Cas said, Dean stood up. 

“Did Jo tell you everything?” He asked, Castiel stood up as well. 

“Just the important parts.” He shrugged and tilted his head, hoping Dean wasn’t mad. 

“Well clearly she didn’t tell you the most important part, because she didn’t _know_ the most important part.” Dean sighed, beginning to run his hands over the top of the water again, though this time he didn’t purposefully push around water, he just let them glide over the smooth surface. 

“What’s that?” Castiel urged him to continue, but watched his hands as they created ripples.

“I loved her, I did. Probably still do in some way. Jo probably told you that it was great for a year, perfect even. But it wasn’t. I was never fully committed to her. Had we lived together, I probably would have had a bag packed and in the trunk at all times. I just wasn’t myself, I was trying to fit into this-this normal, apple-pie life that just wasn’t me.” 

“Apple-pie life?” Cas asked, furrowing his brows again. Dean looked up and looked right into his eyes. 

“Yeah, you know. Guy, girl, love, family, blah blah blah.” He sighed, “She had a kid when she was sixteen, and we were nineteen when we dated. I tried to be a father to the boy... It was dumb.” He let his eyes drop back to his hands on the water.

“It’s not dumb if you cared about them.” Cas’ voice was deep and quiet. If there had been any other sounds, Dean would have missed what he said. 

“I did.” He said, raising his eyes tentatively to meet Castiel’s again, “Only, I was starting to realize that Lisa didn’t get me as hot as I thought she did. That I would only initiate sex if we’d been watching a Jason Statham movie o-or I would find myself checking out guys when we went to bars and stopped looking at her completely. She noticed before I did. Kind of like how Meg told you, well she told me. Only she told me in the form of slapping me and telling me to go to hell.” 

“That seems kind of... Extreme.” Castiel said, Dean sighed. 

“She got really religious after having Ben... She said it was my fault for not being able to keep the demons away.” Dean shrugged, “I don’t know.” 

“So? My parents were religious, they accepted me.” Castiel said, Dean narrowed his eyes across the short space, his own head tilting. 

“ _Parents were_?” He asked, “I knew about your dad... But your mom... When you said incident...” 

“It’s a long story... For another day.” Cas sunk back down into the water, his eyes dropped to the rippled surface.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry, I-”

“It’s ok, really.” He raised his eyes back up to meet Dean’s and sort of smiled, “One day, I’ll tell you. Maybe.” 

“And that will be the day I finally get you into my bed.” Dean grinned and then did a backflip into the water. Castiel snorted and shook his head, awaiting Dean’s return to the surface of the water, but it didn’t come. His heart started beating faster when the man didn’t come up and he began looking all around, wondering if he should start diving and searching when he felt a force hit him from behind. He twisted and turned in the water, beginning to panic and when his head finally broke the surface, he saw a laughing Dean holding onto him. 

Dean’s smile faded when he saw that Castiel wasn’t laughing, but rather, struggling to breathe. He was immediately concerned that he’d swallowed too much water and was somehow drowning even though his head was out. 

“Cas?” Dean asked, smoothing the hair off of his forehead and locking onto the panicked blue eyes. Castiel was trying to breathe in through his nose, but a sort of wheezing noise was occurring and Dean’s confusion sky rocketed, “Are you ok? What’s wrong?” 

“I need...” Cas wheezed, his hand flying to his chest as if he were trying to apply pressure, “Inhale-” He coughed and tried to breathe in again, not succeeding in getting anymore air. Dean immediately began dragging him out of the water. Cas was able to walk once they reached the shore but collapsed onto his knees and Dean knelt in front of him, still trying to figure out what was wrong. His hand flew to cup Castiel’s cheek as he watched him try to suck in air, but only succeeded in getting short tiny breaths. 

“Sam!” Dean shouted down the beach, his brother looked up and probably recognized his panicked tone because he was running down the sand towards them a moment later. 

“What’s wrong?” Sam asked, and then noticed Cas, “Oh damn, he’s probably having and attack, I’ll go get his inhaler.” 

“Inhaler?” Dean asked, looking up at his brother.

“He’s asthmatic, you jerk,” Sam shook his head and then took off running in the opposite direction. Dean looked down at Cas who was now supporting himself by squeezing Dean’s thighs, if this situation hadn’t been so upsetting, he’d be slightly turned on. Okay, maybe he was still slightly turned on. He shook it off as he saw Sam running back holding a small red object, “Here.” He said, handing Dean the inhaler. 

“Cas, here’s your thing.” He said, handing it over. Castiel nearly fumbled for it, taking one hand off of Dean and grabbing it, almost dropping it several times. Sam had already removed the cap so Cas was able to put it to his mouth, squeeze and breathe in. Dean watched with wide eyes as he took two pumps and then closed his eyes, trying to regain control of his breathing. 

“You ok?” Sam asked, Castiel coughed and then looked up at the taller Winchester. 

“Yeah.” He said, his voice was more gravelly than normal and it sent a chill through Dean, that plus the hand still squeezing his thigh, okay he was a bit more than a little turned on. It wasn’t right, he shouldn’t be turned on when Castiel could hardly breathe. But it didn’t help that he was breathing heavily and he kept licking his lips and Dean had to literally shake his head to get the images that were beginning to form out of his mind. 

“Alright, well I’m gonna get back to Jess, you sure you’re ok?” Sam asked, Castiel nodded and then turned back to Dean after he took off running down the beach towards his girlfriend. 

“Dammit, Cas. I didn’t know you had asthma.” Dean said, scratching at the back of his neck, avoiding Castiel’s eyes. When he finally found the guts to look back at him, he was smirking, “What?” He asked, confused. 

“You’re cute when you’re worried about me.” He said before flopping back onto the sand, not caring about the fact that his body was wet and the sand would stick to him. Dean shrugged and did the same thing. Once again they were staring up at the now darkening sky, and though they weren’t in water, Dean still felt as if he were floating. 

Well that couldn’t be good. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no clue what prompted me to give Cas asthma... Maybe it's that knock you off your feet, steal your breath kind of love? Heh.


	5. Avalanche

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fun night goes horribly wrong, but Cas is there to help Dean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alcoholic asshole John Winchester makes an appearance.

“Party at my house later?” Dean said to Castiel randomly one day. Cas looked over at him and sighed, they’d been hanging out a lot the past few weeks, and he knew that a party at the guy’s house was nothing to be excited about. Nothing was going to happen, he already knew that. 

“What time?” Cas asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as he could as he swept the floor behind the register.

“You come over whenever you want. That’s when the party will start.” Cas looked back at Dean who’s eyes were sparkling with something mischievous.

“Should I be afraid?” Castiel asked, not liking the look in his eye.

“Maybe.” Dean winked and turned around, heading into the back to wash some dishes. Cas shook his head and went back to sweeping. It was Sunday, which meant the shop closed at 7. It wasn’t due to any religious reasons, since Bobby said that he didn’t believe in God, he believed in everything, which was a philosophy Castiel decided he liked. Cas couldn’t decide what time to go to Dean’s, and ended up going home first where he encountered Gabriel getting to know a random girl really well on the couch. It was 8:00 when he covered his eyes and ran up to his room.

 _I’ll be over at 9_. Cas texted Dean and the response was almost immediate.

 _Can’t wait_. Those two words sent Castiel’s stomach into somersaults, and he knew he shouldn’t have been so excited about a simple text message, that he shouldn’t read too much into things. But he couldn’t help it. It had been weeks since Dean tried to hit on him, but it had also been weeks since Dean had knowingly picked up a guy and taken him home.

So either he was trying to hide his tricks from Castiel in a new effort to get with him, or he’d stopped sleeping around in an effort to get with him. Either way, Cas liked the outcome. He shook his head, he shouldn’t want to _just_ sleep with Dean Winchester, no matter how much he wanted to just _sleep_ with Dean Winchester. He knew he would want more, and then he’d turn into one of those guys that Dean was constantly brushing off whenever they went somewhere.

But Castiel felt like things had changed between the two of them, like Dean actually cared about him. But he couldn’t be sure. Perhaps the party tonight would change things, but then again, maybe not.

Cas borrowed Lucifer’s car to take to the Winchester’s as it was all the way across town and he knew he shouldn’t ask for a ride. When he arrived, there were very clearly a lot of people there, the music was loud, the lights were on, cars were everywhere. With a sigh, Cas pulled into an empty opening in the driveway, not even realizing until he was climbing out of the car that there was a spot open. He looked around, confused by that fact. 

He pushed into the house and was almost hit by a flying bottle. It bounced off of the door however and shattered onto the floor.

“Come on guys, not cool!” Dean shouted as he made his way to the door, smiling at Cas, “You made it!”

“I said I would.” Castiel replied, immediately ducking from another bottle that was sent smashing to the floor.

“We should get somewhere more safe.” Dean laughed, pulling Castiel down the hall by his wrist. They made it into the kitchen where there were only a few people, talking quietly and drinking beer or other various mixed drinks, “What’s your poison?” Dean asked, Cas shrugged so Dean gave him a bottle of beer and opened it for him. He motioned for them to head through to the living room and he followed him willingly. The couch was also mysteriously vacant and Dean plopped down onto it. Cas followed accordingly.

“I don’t know how I managed to get a parking spot in the driveway.” Cas said, trying to strike up a casual conversation.

“Oh, that’s easy, I made sure it was left open for you.” Dean replied, having to shout slightly as the music somehow turned up louder.

“Well that was nice, thank you.” Castiel said, amazed that Dean had actually thought of him.

“No problem. Anytime.” Dean smiled and took a swig of his beer, Cas did the same, wincing slightly as he got a mouthful of a bitter substance that he wasn’t sure was actual alcohol but regurgitated slop. Dean laughed, “You don’t like it?”

“No! It’s great!” Cas said, trying to take another drink, but Dean pulled it out of his hand and set it on the table in front of him, when he came back, his arm had somehow found its way to the back of the couch and Dean was facing him, that same gleam in his eyes.

“I think I know you well enough by now, Cas, to know when you don’t like something.” Dean’s voice was quiet, but he could still hear it as it was close to his ear.

“Is that so?” Castiel asked, a switch in his brain flipping. Dean was flirting, it was the least he could do to flirt back, “Been paying close attention to me, have you?” Dean’s brows shot up at Castiel’s reply.

“As a matter of fact, I have.” Dean said, his eyes searching Castiel’s face for something, “I have to observe to make sure.”

“Make sure of what?” Cas asked, his breathing hitching slightly as Dean moved a bit closer, his lips parted.

“Just to make sure I’ve made the right choice.” Dean commented, Castiel’s heart damn near stopped when his lids dropped slightly, his eyes looking down to Cas’ mouth and Dean’s tongue swept out, licking at his parted and slightly chapped lips.

“Right choice?” He asked again but before Dean could answer, there was a loud crash. Dean sat up straight and turned, looking for the source. His face had changed completely, as if someone had just broken in to kill his family, “What was that?” Cas asked, standing up behind Dean and following him out of the room.

“It sounded like it came from the hall.” Dean growled and they walked out into the man foyer. There was a shadow box in pieces on the floor and something metal in pieces next to it, “No, no, no, no! God dammit!” Deans shouted and immediately looked around for the culprit, “Who did this!?”

“I’m sorry, Dean.” Sam skulked out of the side room, his hands in his pockets, “It was an accident.”

“You did this? Sammy?” Dean asked, his eyes wide.

“Yeah.” Sam sighed, running a hand through his hair, “I know Dad’s gonna be pissed.”

“Oh, Dad’s gonna be way more than pissed! He’s gonna kill me, Sam!” Dean squatted down next to the pieces, picking up the handle of the gun which had a pentagram carved into it before he dropped it back into the rubble.

“You? No, I did it, Dean, I’m the one with my ass on the line here.” Sam said, Dean looked up at him and laughed slightly, shaking his head.

“Right, like I’d let that happen.” Dean stood and walked away. Cas looked at Sam who was staring at the mess on the floor and when Dean reappeared he had a broom in hand. He began sweeping up the shards of glass on the floor when the front door opened and time seemed as if it had stopped.

A large man walked in, couldn’t be taller than Sam, but was a bit taller than Dean. He had black hair and scruff for days. His coat was worn over flannel, though why he was wearing such a jacket in the middle of July was beyond Castiel. But then again, he’d worn a trench coat for three summers in a row, so he couldn’t really pass judgment on anyone. The man looked at Cas, confused and then his eyes moved to Sam and finally they landed on Dean, who was frozen, mid sweep.

“Dean.” The man said, Dean straightened up.

“Dad.” He said and watched as his father’s gaze traveled down to the floor, where the gun lay in pieces.

“What happened here?” John Winchester asked, walking closer to his sons.

“It was an accident-” Dean tried.

“What?” John asked, Dean swallowed thickly.

“I was throwing something inside the house and it got hit, it fell. I’m sorry.” Dean said, half smiling, “It was just an old gun anyway.”

“Do you have ANY idea what that gun was worth to me? To your mother?” John shouted and the people partying stopped to look. They soon began to trickle out of the house behind John, who dared not move or say anything until they were all gone. John shot Castiel a look and Cas went to move, but Dean’s hand on his arm stopped him.

“Stay, Cas. You can stay.” Dean said and Castiel swallowed, looking back to their father.

“Care to tell me why the gun your mother dug out of the ground, that she spent years digging for, is lying in pieces on our floor?” John asked, apparently deciding it would be best to ignore Castiel.

“I already said, it was an accident-”

“I don’t care about that, Dean. I’m asking why!? Why in the hell did you even have a party?” John was stepping ever closer, but Dean wasn’t retreating, his chin was held high and he was looking his father straight in the eye.

“Dad-” Sam interjected, but Dean shot him a look.

“Sam, shut up.” Dean said, “I’ve got this.” John was still getting dangerously close to Dean for Castiel’s liking.

“No, Dean, it’s not right. I have to tell him.” Sam urged. Dean growled and backed away.

“It was me, Dad.” Sam said, John’s head snapped to face him, “I threw my shoe at the wall and it fell. I’m sorry, it was stupid. A stupid, dumb mistake.”

John turned on Sam in an instant, bypassing Castiel quickly, and he could smell the alcohol, almost gagged in fact. Cas knew this wouldn’t end well, and so it seemed, did Dean. Dean was pushing past Cas to get to his brother but was too late, John reared back his fist and hit Sam square in the jaw, the younger boy was knocked out cold. Cas tried to stop Dean but he wasn’t fast, nor strong, enough to stop him and Dean began hitting his father.

“Dean! Stop!” Castiel shouted as the man dropped his father to the ground, but didn’t stop hitting him. John was clearly out cold, and Dean was still hitting and kneeing him the best he could. Cas reached out a hand and touched his shoulder but was knocked back with a thump. Dean turned, his eyes wide, his knuckles bloody.

“Cas?” He said, “I’m-” He looked from his fist to his father, to Sam, and then finally back to Castiel, his eyes growing wider with panic every second, “I’m sorry.” He said before getting up and running out of the front door. Cas ran after him, but he’d already taken off running down the road. Castiel hopped into his car, thankful that he got such a good spot and followed him. Dean had stopped running a few blocks away and was instead walking with his fists balled up at his sides.

“Dean!” Castiel shouted out of the rolled down window. Suddenly, it began to rain. Dean looked up at the sky, his eyes squinted, and then he looked back to the car beside him, to Castiel, “Need a ride?” Cas asked, smiling to himself slightly. Dean sighed and nodded, climbing into the car.

They drove to a parking lot at a random beach that stared out across the choppy and dark water; the rain was falling hard and it made it difficult to see anything without the wipers, but Castiel didn’t want to turn them on for fear of ruining the comfortable silence. He had the car off so there wasn’t any noise but the sound of falling rain and of their breath.

“You’ve never done that before?” Cas asked suddenly, looking at Dean’s bloody knuckles.

“What? Hit my father?” Dean asked, looking at Cas.

“No, defended yourself.” Castiel replied, Dean’s eyes met his and he sighed, rubbing his hands together and wincing as he squeezed them with his legs.

“I didn’t do it for me. I did it for Sam.” Dean rasped, putting his head against the window. A silence fell over them once again, it was a bit less comfortable this time, but Cas didn’t care. He let it happen anyway. They sat like that for what seemed like forever. It had to be an hour or two, at least.

Cas looked over at Dean as he sat in the passenger’s seat, his hands between his knees. Castiel never thought he’d see him look so vulnerable, so broken. Though he hadn’t known him very long, a few months, he knew him well enough to know this wasn’t a regular thing for him, showing emotion.

“So then...” Cas said, “Home?” Dean turned to him suddenly, his eyes wide with panic.

“No, I-”

“So not your home... My home?” Cas cut him off, not wanting Dean to freak out and run away, out into the rain. He seemed to calm down substantially and nodded. Castiel turned on the car and started down the street into the night.

His house was dark and quiet when he pulled up. He ushered Dean out of the car and up the front steps. It was as though he needed Castiel’s hand on his back, pushing lightly, to give him motivation. He motivated him through the front door and walked in front of him as he began to ascend the stairs, Dean stood at the foot of the steps, almost hesitant to walk up.

“Dean? You okay?” He asked when he noticed the other man wasn’t following.

“Yeah, it’s just-”

“You’ve been in my house before...” Cas whispered, walking down a few stairs until he was closer to Dean.

“I know, I’ve just never been upstairs.” He looked up the staircase as if it were uncharted territory, which technically it was, “Usually when I’m being snuck into a guys home, it’s because he doesn’t want his roommates or parents to hear, and-”

“Dean!” Castiel hissed, grabbing his panicking face to calm him, “Stop, you’re freaking out.” They both fell silent and Castiel began to let his hands drop. Dean caught them, mid-fall, and they said nothing, only stared. Blue eyes looked into green ones and Castiel made no effort to remove his hands from Dean’s grasp, but began walking again, up the stairs, pulling lightly on Dean. He let go of one hand so Cas could turn foreword and they continued to creep through the quiet house. They made it to Castiel’s room with no interruptions and he pulled Dean in, closing the door behind them.

The lights were off, and no one made any attempt to turn them on; the light streaming in from a streetlamp outside was all they needed to see, the dots on the window from the rain were casting a shadow across Dean’s face, though his eyes still shone in the dim light from outside. Dean moved to sit on the edge of the bed and Cas followed him, helping him remove his jacket.

Cas dropped down to remove Dean’s shoes, and action that caused a crease to form between said man’s brows.

“Cas, what are you doing?” Dean asked, pulling his face up to look at him by his chin.

“I’m taking care of you, Dean. Just let me do it. You can complain later.” Castiel sighed, trying to return to his task, but Dean held onto his chin.

“I’m not complaining, just... Why?” He asked, Cas leaned back and really looked at him, he removed Dean’s hand from beneath his chin and held it in his, as if to add effect to what he was about to say.

“Because you need it-”

“No I don’t, I’m-” Castiel put a finger to Dean’s lips in an effort to quiet him.

“Yes, you do. You’ve had to take care of Sam your whole life. Just this once, let someone take care of you.” It wasn’t a request, it was a command, but Dean nodded anyway. Castiel dropped his hand and resumed his task. He looked out the window at the street light momentarily and his heart began to pound in his chest as he looked back down at where Cas was now removing his socks. Somehow, it was suddenly the most intimate situation he’d ever been in, and that’s saying a lot.

Cas let his hands drag lightly up Dean’s legs as he went to unbutton his shirt. He knew it might be inappropriate, but he wanted to savor the feel of Dean beneath his hands while he could. Just like how he took advantage of the situation by memorizing how Dean’s thighs felt beneath his hands when he had his attack, he was now memorizing how Dean’s abs felt beneath his knuckles as he slowly undid the buttons.

He pushed the drenched fabric off of Dean’s shoulders and slid it down his arms, Dean let him take it off of each arm just as slowly, their eyes never left each others as Cas tossed it aside, not caring about where it landed.

“Your jeans are still pretty wet.” Cas said, Dean nodded and stood up.

“I can get these myself.” He half smiled and began unbuckling his belt. Cas turned away briefly, hiding his blush, even though it was dark and he doubted Dean could see it. When he turned back, Dean was standing before him in not but his jockey shorts and Cas could see... Everything.

There was a tattoo on his chest that had previously gone unnoticed, why, he didn’t know. He’d seen him without his shirt on dozens of times... But not recently. Castiel stepped forward and reached out a hand towards the ink. Dean caught it mid-stride.

“Careful, it’s still sore. It’s only a week old.” He smirked and let go, but didn’t stop him again from reaching out. Castiel didn’t touch the tattoo directly, he just let his hand fall around it, which also happened to be over his pectoral muscle, and over his heart.

“What is it?” Cas asked, his brow furrowed as he stepped closer to Dean, getting a better look. The pentagram was surrounded by a circle, which was then surrounded by something that resembled the sun.

“It’s a sort of... Family thing.” Dean shrugged, “Me and Sammy both got one, a sign of our brotherly devotion or whatever.”

“Ok, but what does it mean?” Cas asked, looking from the tattoo up to Dean, their eyes meeting in the dim light streaming in through the window. A drop of water travelled down the glass outside and it’s streak moved across Dean’s cheek. It looked as if he were crying shadows.

“It’s an anti-possession sigil, or so Sam says, some ancient thing or something. We got it to symbolize our... Well just look at it this way, he’ll never let anyone or anything hurt me, I’ll do the same for him. We look out for each other. As long as we’ve got each other, we’ll always be ourselves, we’ll always be home.” Dean pressed his hand suddenly against Castiel’s, keeping it against his skin. He didn’t say anything else, but continued to look into his eyes.

Cas could feel it before anything actually happened; he knew it was coming. There’s a sort of feeling you get when someone wants to kiss you, it’s this twisting in your stomach, and an aching in your chest. The hairs on the back of your neck stand on end and your breathing becomes labored. It was that feeling that told Cas to turn his head as Dean’s face came closer to his.

Dean’s lips landed on Castiel’s cheek and Cas grimaced slightly, upset that he had to do such a thing. He would love to kiss Dean, in any other moment than this one.

“Sorry.” Cas said, “I just- It’s not...”

“It’s not the right time.” Dean said, backing up a few inches and letting Castiel’s hand drop. He crossed his arms over his chest and Castiel looked at his feet.

“It just wouldn’t feel right, not now. Not when you’re so-”

“Vulnerable?” Dean scoffed, “Afraid you’d be taking advantage of me, Cas?” He was smiling, but his tone relayed a different feeling.

“Actually, yeah.” Cas said, he then turned and stripped off his own shirt and took off his jeans. Dean watched with a brow raised as he turned back around and walked towards him. Cas pushed Dean lightly backward until the back’s of his knees hit the bed and he sat, “You can have this side.” He said and then walked around to the other side of the mattress, sliding underneath the comforter.

Dean sighed and turned, picking up the blanket and throwing it over himself. He immediately turned over to find Castiel also on his side, facing him. The light streaming in through the window wasn’t enough to illuminate that part of the room, but his eyes had adjusted enough for him to be able to see some of Castiel’s features.

“Goodnight, Dean.” Cas said, reaching out and tentatively running his fingers up Dean’s arm. Dean shivered slightly at the touch and sighed.

“Night, Cas.” He said, reaching out blindly and finding Castiel’s waist. If he couldn’t kiss him, he’d at least pull him in as close as he could. Cas let him, and soon their feet were entangled. Dean decided it would have to do and he stopped pulling, though he let his hand rest on Castiel’s waist and closed his eyes, drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Dean!


	6. Portugal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Castiel have a day off.

Dean shifted in bed, his arms were around something solid and his nose was being tickled. He moved his head a bit, but it only served to tickle his nose more. He slowly opened his eyes and realized the thing that was lightly grazing his face was hair, and dark hair at that. He blinked and almost jumped out of bed before he felt the pain in his knuckles and recalled the events of the previous night. He wouldn’t jump out of bed, because he was in Cas’ bed, and that was an okay place to be.

He tightened his grip around the man in front of him and pulled him closer, closing his eyes so the hair wouldn’t graze his eyeballs and kissed at the tanned skin in the place where neck meets shoulder. Castiel shivered in his embrace and he smirked, making a mental note of that place; he would revisit it when he’d won Castiel’s affection.

Though hadn’t he won it already? Didn’t last night prove that? If his father hadn’t come home drunk, if he hadn’t hit Sam, if he hadn’t in turn kicked his father’s ass for hitting Sam, would something have happened between them? He could feel it at the party, could feel their lips gravitating towards one another.

It would have been good.

It would have felt as good as he felt now, with Cas in his arms. It occurred to him suddenly that Castiel fit against him quite well, as if they were shaped to fit perfectly with one another. Dean shook that thought away, he didn’t think things like that, he just didn’t. He was incapable of believing that someone was meant for him. Or was he? Because Cas felt really damn good in his arms, and he kind of wanted to keep his arms around him.

There was a creak outside the door from the hall and Dean lifted his head up to see a shadow move past the doorway. That’s right, Castiel had three brothers, and they were probably all home right now wondering why Cas had a guy in his bed. He slowly removed his arms from around him and worked himself back until he was able to turn away and stand from the bed.

He looked down and realized that he was in his boxers and scratched at his head. His jeans were somewhere, he just had to find them.

He found them slightly beneath the bed, how they got there, he’d never know; he pulled them on and then found a random shirt from Castiel’s dresser, he wouldn’t care about the borrowing of clothing.

Dean opened the door and exited the room as quietly as he could and when he did he looked left and then right; he looked left again to find Gabriel staring at him, half of a smile on his face. Dean waved slightly and Gabe waved back, his wave turned from a hello into a beckon and he followed Gabriel down the stairs to the kitchen.

“Long night?” Gabriel asked, smirking as he opened the fridge and pulled out a carton of eggs.

“Sort of, but not for the reasons you’re thinking.” Dean spat out quickly, not wanting to get into an awkward big brother conversation.

“Is that so?” Gabe asked, narrowing his eyes at Dean, “So you didn’t get in a fight with your father, run out into the night only to be picked up by my little brother and brought back here for some comforting?”

“How did you-" Dean asked, Gabriel just raised his brows and Dean sighed, "There was no comforting.” He urged, “We just slept, that’s all.”

“But you slept with my brother, yes?”

“In a completely non-sexual, just sleeping kind of way, yes.” Dean’s eyes were probably wide with panic but he figured it was impossible not to look that way. Gabriel’s eyes widened a bit and the stern look that was on his face quickly changed into a smile.

“Ah, what do I care?” Gabe shrugged, “Everyone’s entitled to some fun now and then, do what you want with Cassie.” He sighed and began cracking eggs into a large glass bowl. He raised his whisk however very briefly and pointed it at Dean, “But break his heart and I’ll kill you. I will whisk your eyes out.”

“That sounds... Painful.” Dean swallowed, unsure of whether he should be afraid of Gabriel’s threat, but figured it was just his brotherly duty, “Cas has to have feelings for me before I can break his heart.” Dean sat down on one of the stools that was set up along the island, Gabriel laughed so hard it disrupted his feverish whisking.

“Oh that’s funny.” He said, his smile was genuine, “You guys are probably the dumbest... Geez. Really? If you think he’s not crazy about you then you’re insane.” Gabriel shook his head.

“Really?” Dean asked, genuinely surprised, though it did confirm his suspicions about last night, “Isn’t that something.”

“Isn’t it something indeed.” A voice said, Dean turned to see a tall, thin brunette. His hair was spiked, his lids were heavy and his suit was fitted perfectly. He stood leaning against the doorway with one hand in his pocket, the other was holding onto a phone. He looked up and his eyes met Deans; this was the brother he hadn’t met, this was Michael.

“Oh, you’re home early.” Gabriel said, his smile fell slightly.

“I had an early meeting, decided to leave early.” Michael shrugged and waltzed into the kitchen, “It’s noon, you’re really making eggs?” He sighed disapprovingly at his brother and dropped onto a stool near Dean.

“Breakfast foods can be eaten at anytime of day.” Gabriel rolled his eyes and began pouring his whisked eggs onto a frying pan. He looked from Dean to Michael and then back to Dean.

“So you’re Dean.” Michael said and the man in question closed his eyes for a moment, clenched his jaw and then turned, smiling widely at the oldest Novak.

“I am, you’re Michael, I’m guessing?” He held out his hand, but Michael didn’t take it, he instead gave Dean the same sigh he’d just given Gabriel’s food choice.

“I’m assuming Gabe here already gave you the ‘break our brother’s heart we’ll break your face’ speech, right?” He didn’t wait for Dean’s reply, “But did he tell you about the fragility of our family right now? That we’re still trying to build our bond back up after everything... Cas’ last relationship couldn’t maintain in this environment, what makes you think you’ll be any different for him?”

Gabriel scoffed and was about to reply, but Michael held up his hand. Dean put on his ‘fuck you’ smile and cleared his throat. He looked from his hands back up to the man and shrugged.

“I don’t know, Mike.” He said, tilting his head slightly, “I do know it’s none of your business whether or not your brother and I are even together. Which we’re not, thanks for asking. And I can’t tell you how long it would last if we did date, but I can tell you that Castiel pulled me from hell last night, and he didn’t throw me back in it. He was kind enough to bring me here, gave me a place to crash. So hey, it was a first for me. Slept in a guys bed and didn’t do anything, didn’t try to do anything.”

“Well bravo.” Michael said, but his face was a little less hard, his eyes were a bit softer as he looked at Dean. His eyes shifted to Gabriel suddenly and he smiled, “What do you think?”

“I already told you, I think he loves our little Cassie. He’s just too stupid to admit it to himself.” Gabriel replied, Dean furrowed his brow and looked between the two brothers; there were footsteps beside them and they all turned. Castiel had just walked into the room, he had a blue robe on and his hair was a mess, he was scratching at his eye and yawning. Dean didn’t think he’d ever seen anything so adorable.

“Morning.” He breathed as he walked tiredly to the island and sat down between Dean and Michael, “What are you making?” He smiled at his brother and then smiled tiredly at Dean who had to suppress the urge to ruffle his hair, though it’s not like it needed it.

“Eggs.” Gabe replied shortly, scooping some onto a plate and setting it down in front of the youngest Novak.

“Thank you.” Castiel stretched his shoulders briefly before picking up a fork and digging into the food in front of him. A few bites in he turned to Dean, “Oh, I forgot, Bobby called, said he had your shift covered today... Guess he heard about what happened. He said that Ellen was going to work for you?”

“Ellen?” Dean’s brows shot up to his hairline, “Wow, she hasn’t taken a shift in a while.”

“Who is she?” Cas asked around yet another mouthful of eggs. Gabriel set a plate in front of Dean and winked before he retreated from the kitchen with Michael at his side.

“Bobby’s wife.” Dean explained as he began to shuffle the food around on the plate, picking the perfect spot to start eating. Castiel stopped his fork in mid-air to watch Dean turn his plate around, he laughed. Dean looked up at him, his mouth turned into a small circle, his eyes slightly wide, “What?” He asked, Castiel was still smiling.

“Nothing.” He laughed and shook his head, “You’re just-”

“I’m what?” Dean asked, slightly self-conscious.

“Adorable.” Cas answered, closing his mouth around his fork. Dean scoffed and shook his head, picking up a forkful of food.

“I am not adorable.” He said, swallowing and looking back to Cas who was still smiling, “I’m not!” He exclaimed, Cas shrugged.

“Alright, alright.” He shook his head again, “Whatever you say.” He was still smiling as he took his next bite.

They ate their eggs with small talk, mostly about the weather and if they should go to the beach and brave the tourists on their unexpected day off.

“What do you wanna do?” Dean asked Cas as soon as they’d finished and were throwing their dishes into the sink.

“Uh... I don’t know Dean...” Cas said, shrugging, he scratched at the back of his neck.

“Well... What’s something that you haven’t done that you really wanna do?” Dean asked, Cas’ stomach flipped for a moment when he thought of what Dean already knew he’d never done, “Not that.” Dean added and Cas snorted, feeling a mixture of relief and... Disappointment?

“I, uh, I’ve never been to a carnival?” Castiel said, Dean’s brows raised for a moment and he nodded.

“That I can do.” He said and then looked down at his wrinkled jeans and Castiel’s shirt, “You don’t mind that I borrowed your shirt, do you?” He asked, feeling suddenly self conscious, for absolutely no reason. Cas smirked and ran a hand through his hair, Dean resisted the urge to do it himself after.

“No, not at all. Looks better on you than it ever did on me.” Dean blinked for a second and the words ‘I doubt that’ got stuck in his throat as Castiel continued speaking, “I’ll go change, then we can head out.” He ran a hand over Dean’s shoulder briefly before turning and running to the staircase. Dean leaned against a wall, his arms crossed over his chest for barely five minutes before Cas was running back down the stairs fully dressed.

Dean hardly used the word beautiful and he never said that word to a guy before, but if he had to use a word to describe Cas as he came down the steps, smile on his face, hair still a mess, blue tank top on that brought out his eyes, he would have said he was beautiful. Dean was too busy thinking those three words over in his head that he didn’t notice Cas had now reached him and was staring at him with his head tilted and his brow creased.

“Uh, Dean... Ready to go?” He asked, snapping Dean out of his reverie.

“Oh, yeah.” He laughed awkwardly, “Let’s go.” They headed out the door and into the summer sun.

The local carnival, properly titled Funland, was packed. They didn’t expect it to be anything less than filled with tourists and children, but according to Dean, “That’s part of what makes it so fun.” You get to run around, act like a child and gawk like a tourist.

“It doesn’t matter, no one is judging you because they’re acting the same way.” Dean said as they made their way into the area designated as ‘Funland,’

“Alright, well, let’s do something!” Castiel said smiling widely and he began looking around. His eyes landed on the ferris wheel and he turned to Dean, “Before we leave, we have to ride that thing. I’ve never been on one before.” Dean cringed momentarily as he had a slight fear of heights, but the look on Castiel’s face was enough to make him get over that fear.

“Deal.” Dean smiled and then he spotted bumper cars and winked at Cas as they began hurrying towards it in an effort to bring out their inner children. That endeavor turned out to just be Dean and Cas trying to run each other down and forgetting about all the other people in there. Near the end they decided to work together to bump into the devil children that kept running into them. By the time they exited the ride, there were three children crying and one ran up to Dean and kicked him in the shin. Castiel laughed and Dean hopped up and down for a moment, rubbing his leg and muttering obscenities.

“He’s just a kid, Dean.” Cas said, laughing harder at Dean’s anger.

“A demon child!” Dean said, finally putting his foot back on the ground.

“Yeah, he was a real assbutt, that kid.” Cas nodded, his face a look of fake determination, Dean raised a brow at him.

“Assbutt?” He asked, Cas shrugged and Dean laughed and shook his head, putting an arm around Castiel’s shoulders and leading him towards a haunted house.

They spent the next few hours running around the carnival, going from ride to ride, took another turn at the bumper cars where Dean was chased by the same kid that kicked him, and finally they ended up at some game where you throw a ball at bottles to knock them down.

“Alright, a challenge!” Dean exclaimed as they approached the game, “I win, you buy us dinner, you win, I buy. Deal?”

“Deal.” Cas smiled, holding out a hand, “You first.” He said, Dean stood tall and puffed out his chest, Cas rolled his eyes and shook his head, but his smile never faltered. Dean picked up a ball and raised a brow at Cas, as if he were going to show him a thing or two. He turned and threw said ball, knocking down three out of the five glass bottles.

“Ha!” Dean exclaimed, “Beat that!” He turned back to Castiel who sighed and feigned disappointment.

“I don’t know how I can, Dean. That was very good.” He picked up the ball and tossed it up into the air, catching it again, “I just don’t know what I’ll do.” He shrugged and breathed deeply, narrowing his eyes at the bottles. He adjusted his stance and rolled his shoulders, effectively loosening them.

He was sure Dean was staring at him with wide eyes as he took the normal baseball players stance and raised one knee while throwing both his arms into the air, then he stepped forward and threw the ball, hitting the middle of the glass tower and knocking all six bottles over. He turned to Dean, who was staring at him with the most amazed expression. If Cas had less self control, he would have kissed that face. But he refrained, unsure of how Dean would react to being kissed by him for the first time in public.

“I-” Dean held up a finger, unsure of what to say. Cas knew he’d gotten one over on Dean, but really, he grew up in a house with four brothers, of course he’d played catch in his time. How else did he find out about his asthma. He was being chased one day and all of a sudden couldn’t breathe. They were an active family.

“I’ll still buy dinner, since I practically hustled you.” Cas shrugged and smiled slightly, “Come on. I’m starving.” He tilted his head towards the exit and they made their way out of the amusement park, their prize and the ferris wheel all but forgotten.

The day was coming to an end and the sun was beginning to fall below the line of houses as Castiel and Dean made their way up the front steps of his large white beach house.

“Can I stay here again?” Dean asked, slightly awkward as he rubbed at the back of his neck. He wasn’t used to having to ask for help, that much Cas knew.

“Of course.” Cas smiled as he plopped onto the rocking bench built for two. Dean slid in next to him; he put his arm around him effortlessly, as if he’d done it a hundred times before and Cas leaned into the touch, as if he were meant to fit into that spot. He furrowed his brow at the thought, was he meant to fit in that spot?

He cleared his throat to break up his own thoughts, “You will have to go home eventually.” Castiel said quietly and though it was true, he wasn’t ready for Dean to leave just yet.

“Eh, I know. But just let me have one good night, would ya?” Dean wrapped his hand around Castiel’s shoulder and squeezed. They rocked lightly on the porch and stared up into the darkening sky. A small flock of birds were ascending into the cool blue distance and Cas breathed in the muggy summer air.

“Dean...” He said quietly, not really sure why, he only knew that sitting on that bench with him felt right and he wanted to look into those green eyes to be sure he felt the same.

“Cas.” Dean replied; there was a hint of something in his tone and as they looked at each other Castiel could recognize it as longing. The same longing that he could feel.

Dean licked his lips and his eyes drifted down just in time to see Castiel’s own tongue dart out to wet his lips, oddly enough, they were still chapped. Dean smiled and moved forward, he felt Castiel begin to meet him halfway until their lips were inches apart. He raised his eyes briefly to look into blue ones and their face drifted apart for only half a second and then his eyes were beginning to close as he moved in fully.

“Castiel?” A voice said, stopping their forward momentum only centimeters from their destination. Dean clenched his jaw and squeezed his eyes shut. His hand, which was on its way up to cup Cas’ cheek was stalled and dropped back to his own lap. Dean opened his eyes and looked at the man next to him. He wasn’t upset about the aborted almost kiss, because his eyes were wide and he was staring at the person who’d interrupted him. Dean recognized that look, it was panic; his own stomach turned as he looked at the intruder, not knowing what to expect.

Dean turned to see a black man in a rather nice suit standing on the top step, his hands were clasped behind his back and his head was tilted, his brows in an amused quirk. Dean looked from him back to Cas, their stare down was unprecedented and Dean wanted to know why.

“Raphael.” Castiel said, his voice was deeper and held more animosity than Dean had ever heard in it before. It both scared and fascinated him and if he was being honest with himself, it was kind of hot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to throw 'Assbutt' in somewhere, cause why not! And these poor boys, they just can't catch a break!


	7. Down in the Dumps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raphael's intrusion brings a few truths to the surface, but the Novak's have a way of bringing Castiel out of the dumps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's short and sudden and it took me forever to put up because I've been working so much that the creativity is being bled out of me and I just want to relax every time I have time to do so. 
> 
> So on my random day off, here's a nice little chapter!

Dean stared from ‘Raphael’ to Castiel, ridiculously confused as to who this man was and why he elicited such a fierce tone from Cas, who was usually lighthearted. They stared at one another, the tension was thick, this was not a happy visit.

“What are you doing here?” Cas asked, still in that same deep, angry, threatening tone.

“I dropped by to see my brothers, I can do that, can’t I?” Dean’s ears perked up and he raised his brows, blinking at the word ‘brothers’. Raphael shook his head, “I’m adopted.” He laughed, obviously having noticed Dean’s expression changed, “Your boyfriend’s pretty Castiel, but there’s not much else going on.”

“Excuse me?” Dean asked, removing his arm from around Castiel’s shoulders.

“Dean.” Cas muttered, placing a hand on Dean’s arm, “They should be inside.” It was a warning to go, but Dean was unsure if Cas was trying to get his brother away from Dean, or himself.

“No. I want to talk to you, Cassie.” Raphael smiled, the nickname which always sounded so playful from the other three Novak’s sounded like an insult coming from Raphael’s mouth.

“What could you possibly want to talk to me about?” Castiel growled, Dean’s jaw clenched at the sound.

“Oh, just about how you’ve been... You know, since you killed our mother.” Dean had just a second to look at Castiel in confusion before the front door opened and the other three brothers were standing on the other side of the threshold, having heard the question he asked they all looked rather angry; Gabriel in particular looked like he was ready to murder.

“Raphael.” Michael said, though it was more of a warning, “Why are you here?”

“Just dropped by to say hello.” He waved and turned his attention to Gabriel, “I see you have our baby brother following in your sinning footsteps.” He looked back over to Dean and Castiel on the bench, “But then, we’ve known for a while.”

“You know me. If I’m going to Hell, I want some companions.” Gabriel smiled ruefully at his brother; Dean decided he’d never liked the man more.

“You can leave now, Raphael.” Lucifer said, “You’ve made it clear more than once that you have no desire to be a part of this family unless you’re in control of it.”

“A role which you’ve been battling Michael for since dad got deployed.” Raphael challenged.

“We see things more clearly now.” Michael interjected.

“Leave.” Gabriel commanded, being the first to step towards Raphael in a threatening manner.

“Alright.” He held up his hands in surrender, “I just hope that you all find your way to the right path before it’s too late.” He sighed and then looked to Castiel, “See you around, little brother.” He turned and was gone. Gabriel made an offensive hand gesture before following the already retreating Michael and Lucifer into the house.

“I’m sorry you had to witness that, Dean.” Cas apologized as soon as the door was shut.

“No. Don’t... I’m sorry your brother’s such a douche.” Dean tried to pull a laugh out of him, but it was clear the mood had been killed, whatever high they’d been experiencing was gone.

“We should probably talk.” Castiel sighed.

“We don’t have to.” Dean said, trying to make him feel better, “We can just sit here and enjoy each other’s company.” He reached his arm back around Castiel who stiffened slightly before relaxing back against the bench.

“I don’t understand how you can sit next to me after what Raphael said and not ask what he meant.” His head was tilted and his eyes were narrowed at the darkening sky, he sighed.

“I don’t want to make you talk about something that you don’t want to talk about.” Dean shrugged and rubbed a hand over Cas’ shoulder. The porch light suddenly flicked on and Castiel’s eyes turned up to the ceiling. Dean could see that they were damp. Cas flicked his tongue out to wet his lips and then began to speak.

“My father, as you heard, was deployed to the middle east. We didn’t know where and we didn’t know how... We only know that he was killed. After that, our mother was a wreck. She didn’t speak for days... Just sat in her room. Then one day, I was home, Balthazar was over and we were...” He sighed and shifted uncomfortably, struggling with what he wanted to say, “My father’s death put things, life I suppose, into perspective. So we were going to...” He looked at Dean briefly and he understood that he couldn’t bring himself to say it, Dean nodded as incentive to proceed without saying the words, “While we were in my room, we heard a gun shot... My mother killed herself while I was-” He shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut, Dean pulled him in closer.

“Since then, Raphael has blamed me for being too busy sinning to notice that my mother was going to commit suicide.” Dean’s mouth was slightly agape but he shook it off and squeezed Cas tighter against him, clearing his throat.

“You do know that none of that is your fault, right?” Dean muttered, Cas looked down at his hands and shrugged slightly, sniffing hard before sighing and shifting off the bench.

“We should go inside, I’m sure my brothers have something to say.” He didn’t seem particularly pleased about that but turned his back on Dean anyhow, though he waited before heading inside until he knew that Dean was following.

They pushed through the front door and Dean could practically feel the nerves radiating off of Cas; why he was so nervous about talking to his brothers who defended him was beyond him.

“Cassie, is that you?” Gabriel shouted, though Dean wasn’t sure why it would be anyone else, just then music started blaring from the living room and Dean and Cas rounded the corner to find all three of his brothers wearing trench coats while listening to _Urgent_ by Foreigner.

“Uh-” Dean said quietly to the youngest Novak in front of him.

“You’re probably really confused right now, aren’t you, Dean?” Gabriel interrupted his quiet question.

“You could say that.” Dean half smiled and looked from Cas to his brothers.

“Good! You should be!” Gabe smiled mischievously, “Don’t ask questions, just go with it. And put this on!” He held up another tan overcoat and held it out to Dean, Dean walked past Castiel and grabbed it, holding it up in front of him as if trying to decide. With a shrug he smiled at Gabriel and tugged his arms through the holes and settled the jacket around him before turning to Cas.

“Well, where’s yours?” He looked around, Cas had a slight smile beginning to creep up onto his face. He turned and bolted up the stairs. Gabriel leaned forward.

“He’s got his own in his room somewhere.”

“Good job, Winchester.” Michael said, walking over and handing Dean a beer. Dean took a swig, staring at the oldest Novak in confusion.

“What do you mean?” He asked, trying to decipher Michael’s sincerity.

“Cas is... Fragile.” Michael said, “He wore one of these bad boys for three years in high school, it was like a-”

“Security blanket.” Lucifer continued, “It made him feel comfortable enough to be who he was.”

“When our parents died, he wouldn’t put it on. It was like a part of him died with them.” Michael said, “So we did exactly what we’re doing now, we played his favorite songs-”

“Young Cassie has a penchant for Foreigner.” Gabe interrupted. Dean laughed.

“-And we bought our own overcoats and decided to have a weird party.” Michael shrugged, “We thought it’d make him feel better.”

"He seemed to be coming around, was almost smiling but-" Gabriel was cut off by his brother returning. 

“But then Balthazar refused to wear the trench coat, and I just sort of gave up.” Castiel was standing in the doorway, his own tattered and well worn tan overcoat on; Dean stared at him for a moment, taking note that he’d never seen him look so... Natural.

“So good on you, Dean.” Lucifer said, walking up to the man and clapping a hand on his shoulder, Dean became slightly uncomfortable at the closeness. He was worried that Lucifer might strangle him or something, he seemed to be the type, “We like you.”

Lucifer tipped his bottle against Dean’s as a toast and then walked away, drinking his beer. Michael and Gabriel then filed past and suddenly Dean and Cas were alone again, only the atmosphere had changed back into a sense of calm. Gone was the tension and sadness that Raphael brought with him.

Dean laughed slightly as he set his beer down and walked up to Cas, tugging on his trench coat a bit, closing the front, “You really wore this every day for three years?” He furrowed his brow as he looked at the younger man.

“I did.” He looked down, “I didn’t feel like myself unless I was wearing it.” He shrugged as he looked back up at Dean, “How do you feel wearing one?”

“Honestly?” Dean asked, looking down at himself, “A bit warm. But comfy.” He smirked.

“Thank you.” Cas said quietly, Dean wouldn’t have heard it had he not been listening.

“What for?” He asked, just as quietly, only then did he realize how close they were, they were practically breathing each others' air and yet he was comfortable.

“Being here.” He shrugged and half smiled as he looked at Dean.

“Anytime.” Dean replied, “We’ve got some pretty messed up lives.” Dean tried to laugh, but the statement only served to make him a bit sad.

“True.” Castiel said, “Though mine improved a bit the day I met you.” Dean tried his best not to scoff or roll his eyes at that sentiment, he’d never been accused of making someone’s life better.

Cas could see the disbelief behind his eyes so he brought a hand up to steady Dean’s face and force him to look into his eyes, “I mean it, Dean.” He said, Dean blanched for a moment and blinked before sucking in a breath.

For a few brief seconds the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife and Castiel thought that maybe Dean would lean forward and cover his mouth with his own. But Dean had other ideas, he took a step back, removing Cas’ hand from his face and holding it in his own, he began to walk towards the front door, Castiel in tow. He pulled out his phone and Cas watched as he typed out a text before shoving the phone back into his pocket.

“Where are we going?” Castiel asked, confused by the sudden change in plans. He thought they were going to sit in his living room and listen to his favorite music, the idea was nice.

“It’s a surprise.” Dean looked back at Castiel as he pulled him through the front door, “You trust me, right?”

“Of course.” Cas said, dropping any hesitation and closing the front door behind him.


	8. Work This Body

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing like a little bonfire to take your mind off things, or a drinking game to set things in motion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so lame, I'm beyond lame. I'm the lamest of them all. That being said, enjoy this great and immense amount of fluff. So much. So much fluff I might die.

Castiel allowed himself to be led by Dean’s hand through town. They passed the ice cream shop and the boardwalk all together, heading into the private beach area. Castiel was confused as they walked up to a small wooden fence, he looked at Dean with hesitation.

“Should we be doing this?” He asked, not very eager to do anything illegal.

“Don’t worry.” Dean smiled, his eyes twinkling in the darkness, “This is Bobby’s place, he lets us roam around freely.” Cas sighed in relief and followed Dean onto the small private beach. He was surprised to find Sam, Jess and Jo stacking piles of wooden pallets.

“Hey!” Jo shouted as they made their way into the clearing, “Just in time, we were about to light it up.” Bobby appeared out of nowhere with a piece of wood that was already on fire and threw it into the pile, it didn’t take long for it to catch and soon the whole pile was ablaze. Jo walked to Castiel and threw her arm around him, pulling him in close and he watched as Dean walked over to Sam.

“What the hell are you wearing?” The younger Winchester laughed at his brother, Dean shot him a look.

“It’s for Cas, ok? Don’t ask.” He said, Castiel smiled and then watched as Dean pulled Sam aside to talk to him quietly. He didn’t know what they were saying but it ended with a hug and then a pat on the back.

“They’re probably talking about their dad.” Jo muttered to him, Castiel looked at her and smiled sadly, “Nice coat, by the way.” She pulled on the lapels of his jacket until they were closer to the fire and she opened a cooler, pulling out a couple beers and tossing one to him. He took a sip and shrugged, it wasn’t as bad as he’d expected it to be.

“Anything in particular you wanna listen to?” She asked, hooking her phone up to a large speaker. Castiel shrugged and she nodded, scrolling through songs.

“Don’t play any of that rap crap.” Bobby said, clapping a hand on Castiel’s shoulder, “I raised you better than that.” He reached down and pulled a beer out of the cooler.

“Don’t I know it.” Jo laughed, choosing an old CCR song and turning it up. Bobby tapped the neck of his beer against Castiel’s.

“Good choice, now don’t do anything illegal.” He raised his brows at them all before looking straight at Castiel, “I expect to see you at work tomorrow.”

“Alright.” Cas said and Bobby walked away Jo stood up and gave him a look that he didn’t quite understand.

“What?” He asked, she shrugged.

“He has literally never taken to anyone like he’s taken to you. I mean the Winchester’s, sure, he’s practically raised them due to the fact that their father is a big P.O.S. But you, he really cares for you, Cas.” She bumped her shoulder into his, “Good job.”

“I expect it has something to do with my own father.” He sighed and took another drink.

“Well you’re doing something right, Dean called in the fire brigade, I was a bit surprised when Sam showed up at the front door with his girlfriend and booze. Anything you wanna talk about?” They sat down in the sand, facing the fire, their shoulders pressed against one another, Castiel stared into the light, the flames dancing in his eyes as he thought about the events of the day.

“I guess he just wanted to cheer me up. It was a great day-” He looked over at Dean who glanced back and smiled, Cas bowed his head slightly and smiled back before looking back to Jo, “We had a great time, but then my brother kind of ruined it.”

“Which one? I’ll kick their ass. I bet it was Gabriel.” Jo said, downing the rest of her beer and tossing the bottle aside.

“No- it was Raphael.” Cas sighed deeply, he’d told Jo about his brother before, she turned back with wide eyes.

“Oh shit.” She said, “Hold on.” She got up and ran up the walk into her house. Castiel watched in confusion until she ran back out holding a bottle of Jack Daniel’s, “This calls for something a bit stronger than beer.” She took Cas’ bottle from his hand and handed him the bigger bottle.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” Cas looked from the bottle to her and back to the bottle.

“Take a swig!” She urged, twisting off the cap, “Look, we’ll turn it into a game... Uh...” She looked around and saw Dean with his back turned to them, “Okay, I’ll ask you a question, if you want to answer it then do so, if you don’t wanna, then take a drink.”

“Fair enough- so it’s like truth or dare?” Castiel reasoned, getting moderately excited, he’d never played a drinking game before.

“Exactly, except all truth. If you want to switch to dares a couple drinks down the road, be my guest.” She was grinning, Castiel laughed slightly and nodded, “Alright, so... First question... Are you in love with Dean?” Cas felt like the wind had been knocked out of him by the abruptness of her first question. He raised the bottle to his lips and downed the bitter liquid; he wasn’t sure how much he’d drank, he just knew that his tongue was a bit numb afterward.

“Holy shit, Cas! Slow down!” Jess said, plopping down next to them, “What game are we playing?”

“Sort of a truth or dare thing.” Jo replied, taking the bottle from Castiel, “My turn, ask away.”

“Do you find any of my brothers attractive?” Castiel spat out, Jo raised her brows and then winked before taking a swig of the whiskey, “Ugh.” Cas managed to say before Jess grabbed the bottle.

“Okay, I choose dare.” She smiled deviously, tapping her fingers against the glass. Jo looked at Cas who shrugged.

“Um, alright...” They didn’t know Jess too well, only that she was dating Sam and seemed to be a nice enough person. The smile on Jo’s face told Cas that she’d come up with something, “Go up to Dean and ask him if he’s heard of our lord and savior Sam Winchester.” Jess laughed out loud and took a swig of the whiskey, but got up anyway.

“A bit of liquid courage.” She winked and then made her way over to the brothers, pushing between them. She turned her back on a confused Sam and faced Dean.

“Dean,” She took in a deep breath, “Do you have time to talk about our lord and savior,” Dean glanced over his shoulder to where Cas and Jo were struggling to hold in their laughs, he shook his head and smiled, looking back to his brothers girlfriend, “Sam Winchester?”

“What!” Sam shouted, Dean broke into a fit of laughter as did Cas and Jo. Sam picked Jess up from behind and swung her around, kissing her neck as he did so.

“Alright, alright. Enough with the mushy crap.” Dean waved his brother and his girlfriend off and the three of them made their way over to Castiel and Jo. Dean plopped down in the sand next to Cas and brushed his shoulder against his.

“Hey.” Dean said, Castiel returned the pressure.

“Hey.” He muttered in reply, Jo scoffed.

“Alright, let’s keep going, Cas, it’s back to you.” She handed Castiel the bottle, “Who would you rather sleep with? James Dean or Elvis Presley?”

“Like a young Elvis?” Castiel asked, Jo shrugged.

“Whatever Elvis you want.” She laughed, Castiel took a drink and smiled.

“James Dean.” He winked at his own Dean, “Easy.”

“I don’t think we’re really getting the point of this game.” Jo laughed, taking the bottle out of Cas’ hand and giving it to Dean.

“It’s more fun to drink anyway.” Castiel said, smiling at Dean who looked down at the Jack in his hands.

“Alright, so what do I do? Choose truth or dare?” Dean asked, Jo shrugged.

“It’s really whatever you want.” She said, Dean sighed.

“Dare, then.” He smiled and Jo smiled back.

“Sing us a song, then.” She said, Dean raised his brows.

“No, no, no, I can’t-”

“Sure you can, Dean!” Sam shouted, “You sing in the shower all the time.”

“That’s different.” Dean laughed it off, but his embarrassment was obvious, Castiel squeezed his arm and Dean shrugged, bringing the bottle to his lips and taking a long drink. He handed it off to his brother who laughed.

“Chicken.” Sam muttered before choosing truth and being forced to break into a sonnet about how much he loved Jess. Dean scoffed and Castiel kept staring at him with wide eyes, all he could imagine now was Dean singing in the shower, he decided it was something he very much wanted to hear.

A couple hours, an empty bottle of jack and more empty bottles of beer later, they’d given up on the game and had taken to laying around in the sand and talking, laughing, joking, fooling around. Sam and Jess were off somewhere sucking face and Dean was glad they weren’t doing it around him. He was staring at Jo and Castiel who were laying next to each other, arms hooked, muttering about something, obviously very drunk.

Dean himself felt like he was spinning slightly so when he went to move closer to them, he ended up having to crawl.

“Truth or dare, Cas.” Jo said quietly, Dean could just barely hear it.

“Truth.” Castiel responded, giggling slightly.

“Do you love Dean Winchester?” She asked, Dean halted in his movements as he waited for Cas’ answer, he held his breath, not wanting to interrupt.

“You already know.” Castiel replied, “Or you wouldn’t have asked.” His speech was slurred and he then reached over and booped Jo right on the nose. She laughed and so did he, soon they were a giggling mess on the sand and Dean decided it was okay for him to continue his approach.

“Hey guys.” Dean said, rolling onto the ground next to them. Castiel now laid in between him and Jo. Cas’ hand immediately found Dean’s and he intertwined their fingers. Dean squeezed his hand lightly and began to run his thumb over Castiel’s knuckles. Cas sighed.

“I’ve gotta go to sleep.” Jo said, yawning deliberately, “Are you guys staying or are you going back to Cas’ house?”

“Probably going.” Castiel said, “It’ll be a nice walk.” He sighed, “I love the night time.”

“Well there you have it.” Dean smiled up at Jo, she seemed to be vibrating, or maybe it was just the booze.

“See you guys later, then.” She shrugged and headed up the walk into her house, stumbling only a little as she reached the door. The fire had pretty much died down and Sam’s phone was the one playing music now. Sam and Jess were cuddled up against the fence. Dean sat up and brushed the sand off of his arms.

“We’re going now.” Dean shouted at his brother who stopped kissing his girlfriend long enough to wave them off. Dean stood the rest of the way up, wobbling slightly as he held out his hands to help up Cas. He took the offered hands gladly and only fell into Dean as he was helped to his feet. Dean’s hands caught him on his upper arms and he held him up straight, “You alright?” He asked, Castiel nodded.

“I’ve never been intoxicated before.” He shrugged, “Feels funny.”

“Alright, well let’s get you home.” Dean said, taking Cas’ hand once again into his own and leading him away from the dying light of the now small fire.

They’d rounded the corner onto the boardwalk, it was empty and all that could be heard was the crashing of the waves; Dean sighed into the night, relishing in the calmness that surrounded them.

“I love it when it’s like this.” Cas muttered, Dean looked at him, he was smiling slightly, “Sometimes I come out for walks just so I can enjoy it.”

“Next time you do that, let me know.” Dean found himself saying, and he meant it, he wouldn’t mind being alone with Cas in the quiet at all.

“I will.” Castiel grinned at him, Dean smiled back. Cas’ eyes widened for a moment before he was pulling Dean along behind him, “Let me take you to my favorite place.”

Dean found himself being dragged along to an enclosed area, it wasn’t closed off to the public, it just had large white archways around it, and in the middle was a field that sat in front of a stage.

“They have concerts here, I guess.” Cas said, Dean sighed.

“Yeah, I saw my first one right here.” Dean said, standing in the middle of the field as Castiel began walking up to the stage.

“Who was it?” Cas shouted back at him.

“Foreigner cover band.” Dean had a ghost of a smile on his face and when Castiel turned around to stare in awe, it turned into a full grin. He continued to smile as he walked the length of the field until he reached Cas’ side and they looked at the stage, getting the same idea at the same time. They drunkenly scrambled into the stage, Dean hopped up, Cas rolled his way into it.

“So what do you do when you come here?” Dean asked, standing over Cas who was still laying on his back on the stage.

“I just sit.” Cas said, “Sit with me.”

“You’re not sitting, you’re lying down.”

“So lay with me.” He replied, Dean shrugged and crashed down onto the stage, ending up with his legs crossed and his hands clasped in front of him. Cas laughed and sat up, mirroring Dean’s pose, he wriggled around until he was facing them.

“Now what?” Dean asked, brows raised, Cas shrugged.

“You could sing me a song.” Castiel smiled.

“Jo never should have said anything.” Dean shook his head, “I’m not that good.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“Yeah, well you’re biased.”

“Am I?”

“Of course.” Dean smiled, “You’re crazy about me, so of course everything I do is gonna be amazing.” Castiel sat back, offended, Dean hoped he was joking.

“Oh, ho!” He shouted, standing up, “Well if you’re so great, sing something!”

“Alright-” Dean blanched for a moment, standing. He stood across the stage from Castiel, who walked to the edge of it and stood with his hands on his hips. Dean almost laughed at him, slightly drunk, in a trench coat, demanding songs. Dean had to be in love with him or he would have never put up with that kind of behavior. He would never even think about doing what he was about to do.

“Uh-” He said, racking his brain for a song, he didn’t know what he would sing to Cas; he honestly didn’t think he was that great of a singer, so he decided to stick to the basics, his favorite shower song.

“I’m waiting.” Casitel said, though he was grinning. Dean narrowed his eyes at the younger guy and nodded, he knew what he would sing.

 _“I never meant to be so bad to you_ -” Dean rasped out before clearing his throat, Cas furrowed his brow and tilted his head, still smiling slightly and the look sent Dean’s gut twisting, “ _One thing I said that I would never do-”_

He shrugged and began walking towards Cas, “ _A look from you and I would fall from grace-And that would wipe the smile right from my face.”_

“Asia?” Castiel shook his head, laughing slightly as Dean made his way to him and reached out, taking his hand into his own and pulling Cas against him, Castiel nearly lost all ability to breath as he looked at Dean, their faces so close.

“ _Do you remember when we used to dance?_ ” Dean sang, turning Cas slightly and dipping him down, Castiel let out a laugh, “ _And incidence arose from circumstance.”_

He brought a laughing Castiel back up from the dip so they were again face to face, Cas was laughing, Dean was smiling and Cas bit his lip lightly; he still felt a bit woozy from the alcohol, but it wasn’t impairing his judgment, he knew what he was about to do, and he felt the weight of it in his chest. There was no going back once he moved forward and pressed his lips against Dean’s, but he didn’t want to go back.

Dean met him halfway, even though there wasn’t much of a ways to go anyhow, and it resulted in them bumping into each other slightly, but they didn’t care, Castiel brushed his lips against Dean’s lightly, a bit hesitant at first and Dean followed his backward momentum, capturing his lips with his own. His hand moved up from where it was placed on Cas’ lower back to card through his hair, finding it’s home at the base of his neck to hold him in place.

Cas grabbed onto Dean’s shirt for dear life as if he were afraid that when he opened his eyes Dean would be gone and this would have all been a dream. But it wasn’t, it was real, and Cas pushed forward fervently, causing them to stumble slightly, and he allowed himself to wrap his arms around Dean’s neck. And it was still just a chaste meeting of lips, neither of them had even considered pushing it further at this point. It was a first kiss, and a good one; but nothing more, not yet. Neither one sought to flick their tongue along any lips, seeking any sort of entrance. But when Castiel pulled back slightly to breathe, it was only for a moment and he kissed Dean again, it was short and they opened their eyes to look at each other and laughed. The laugh was cut off by Dean seeking Castiel’s lips again for a series of short, sweet pecks that he would never have found himself doing with one of his one night stands.

But then again, Cas wasn’t a one night stand, and Dean was okay with that.

“Was it the heat of the moment?” Cas asked softly, grinning widely, Dean wanted to kiss that smile, but refrained for no reason other than the fact that he wanted to look at it.

“What, telling you what my heart meant?” Dean replied, Castiel opened his eyes and furrowed his brow at Dean who stepped back and held out his hand, “Come on, let’s get you home.” Cas grabbed his hand and allowed Dean to lead him down the steps of the stage and through the grass to the street. They strolled slowly, their fingers still laced, as they walked back to the Novak home. They exchanged small glances and every now and then Castiel would stop and Dean would turn back and Cas would pull his face to him and they’d kiss sweetly. Dean would smile and they’d start walking again.

They made it to the white staircase that led to Cas’ front door and Dean hesitated at the bottom, Castiel turned back in confusion.

“What’s up? Aren’t you coming in?” He asked, head tilted.

“I don’t know, should I?” Dean asked, Castiel rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Of course you should, if you want. I mean it’s not like-” He stopped mid-sentence and walked back down the two steps to Dean, “We’ve kissed, it doesn’t mean we’re going to hop into bed and shag till sun up.”

“Shag?” Dean smiled slightly.

“You get what I mean.” Cas shook his head, returning Dean’s small smile, “But, if you need time to think about what we are, then that’s fine.” Dean’s smile slipped and he reached out, holding Castiel by his waist to keep him in place.

“I don’t-need time-I mean.” Dean half smiled and half shrugged, “I know what I want, and it’s you.”

“Good, because I want the same thing.” Castiel smiled and reached down, taking one of Dean’s hands into his own and he began pulling him up the stairs.

“I’m going to cuddle you so hard.” Dean muttered as they pushed into the front door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh, heat of the moment. Oops.
> 
> God there's so much fluff!


	9. Spend Your $$

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas get away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a tad long, but hey! More to read! It's all over the place too, enjoy!

It wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling, waking up in somebody’s arms in a bed that wasn’t his own; the foreign feeling came after the waking, the contentment was definitely new. The happiness that followed was frightening and exciting and Dean never wanted to move. 

During the night, he and Cas had somehow gotten tangled up in one another, and whereas Cas had been the little spoon upon drifting off, Dean now found himself practically on top of the guy. Their feet were so mixed up, he didn’t know which were his and their fingers were intertwined and hands sweaty. Still, Dean didn’t give a lick and was prepared to spend the remainder of the day lying around, basking in Castiel’s presence. 

The alarm on the nightstand had other ideas, however. The moment the radio clicked on, playing Carry On Wayward Son, it reminded him that they had to work today. What’s worse, Dean would probably be expected to return home that evening. Not that Cas was asking him to leave.

The previous night, Sam told him that their father wasn’t upset about his black eye as much as he was annoyed that they threw a party with no permission. Sam then thanked him for protecting him from yet another one of John Winchester’s infamous drunken rages and asked that he come home. Because it didn’t really feel like home if Dean wasn’t there; a notion Dean understood all too well. 

It wouldn’t be his home much longer, with Sam leaving for Stanford at the end of August, he was going to have to start looking for a new place to live because he’d be damned if he was going to live at home with his father _alone_.

The shifting body next to his made him think that perhaps he wouldn’t be looking for a place by himself. _That_ thought scared him the most. He’d known the guy all of two months and already he was willing to move in with him!? 

When blue eyes blinked open and looked into his followed by a happy smile and a few slow, drawn out, sleepy kisses, he’d decided. Yeah, he wouldn’t mind waking up like this for the rest of, oh, forever.

“Good morning, Dean.” Cas rasped from where he’d twisted and shoved his head into the crook of Dean’s neck where he was now kissing lightly between contented sighs. 

“Good morning, beautiful.” Dean laughed lightly as the kissing halted for a moment and that dark, sleep-tousled head lifted up to reveal a slight blush and shy eyes. Dean cupped that face that was still lined from the pillow case and pulled it in, “Yeah, you.” Dean muttered before kissing Cas hard. Castiel released a small noise in response and it went straight through his ears to the pit of his stomach where it started doing all sorts of weird things to him. 

Castiel grabbed onto Dean for dear life, grasping his shoulder like he might disappear; or at least that’s how the pressure felt to him: Like Cas was making sure he was real, that this was real and all Dean wanted to do was kiss him into assurance-to whisper to him that it was. He was here and he wasn’t going anywhere, ever. Or at least as long as Cas would have him around. 

Eventually they realized that they’d be late for work if they didn’t get a move on and Cas stood up only to sit back down again. Hangover headache had hit him full on. Dean shook his head with a small smile and brought him aspirin from downstairs where he had to brave raised brows and pursed lips from Gabriel.  _Seriously_ , did that guy have nothing better to do than to sit around all day, watching talk shows and eating sweets, all while judging people? Probably not, Dean thought as he eased back into bed next to Cas with his savior. 

“We could call out.” Dean suggested, nuzzling against Castiel’s side and kissing below his ear, “I can think of a thousand better things we could be doing besides work.” 

Castiel sighed and shivered as Dean brushed his lips over that tender spot on the back of his neck. He smiled against it, and kissed it again.

“No, I can’t...” Cas growled, “I told Bobby I’d be there.” Dean nodded, he knew that a promise to Bobby was a promise that was meant to be kept. So they got up and dressed themselves for the day, Dean borrowed another of Cas’ shirts, vowing to give Cas something of his in return someday soon. 

They rushed from the Novak house to work, though in their hurried steps they still remembered to hold onto one another. Their hands found each other easily, naturally, and they swung them between them as they made their way towards the ice cream shop. 

Though they hadn’t worked together since everything had happened, Castiel was grateful for the time he was able to spend with Dean. They’d woken up together after falling asleep in each other’s arms exchanging lazy kisses. He’d discovered having Deans’ hands run through his hair was his new favorite thing in the history of ever. 

It was just the two of them opening the store that morning; Dean helped Cas with all the opening duties and in turn Cas stood with Dean while he did all the paperwork. It was comfortable and easy to fall into some sort of routine. Cas stood over Dean, running his hands through his hair as he put in sales numbers and customer counts for the inventory. Occasionally Cas would lean down and press his lips into Dean’s jaw, neck or cheek and Dean would close his eyes and lean back against him; once he was done with his paperwork they stood like that, quietly leaning on each other until finally Dean sighed and had to go open the front doors to let in the first customers of the day. 

Castiel was content, he’d imagined doing these things with Dean enough that the actual act of doing them felt natural. It was as though they should have been doing these things all along. 

Jo came in at noon so they could have a shared lunch. They sat in the office, side by side with their shoulders’ pressed into each other while eating sandwiches. 

“Aw, aren’t you two the sweetest.” Jo joked, leaning into the doorway. Dean pulled a face at her, though Cas was too busy blushing into his sandwich to pay attention. 

“Shut up.” Dean mused, though he was smiling and blushing as well. Cas decided he wanted Dean to keep looking like that so he leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his cheek; it burned hotter. 

“So... What’s the plan for tonight?” Cas asked once Jo had finally walked away. 

“Dunno...” Dean pondered, seeming slightly unsure, “We’ve gone to Funland, had a day at the beach swimming around, had an asthma attack, had a bonfire, danced on a stage... What other ridiculously romantic things can we _possibly_ come up with?” Dean was smiling cheekily, Cas shook his head. 

“We have the day off tomorrow, right?” Cas asked, a mischievous gleam in his eye. 

“Yeah, Sam is training that weird new kid, Garth.” 

“So, how about we take a trip...” Cas said, his tone quickly switching from confident to unsure, “Or something, y’know, if you wanted.” He got nervous immediately about asking to go away with Dean so early in their... Relationship?

Dean grinned that sideways smile that always succeeded in making Cas’ stomach do impossible somersaults. He reached around and pulled Cas closer to him, turning his head to kiss into Cas’ hair. 

“Getting away from this crazy town with the _amazing_ guy I’m _seeing_? Hell yeah I want to.” Castiel grinned at Dean and continued to eat his sandwich. 

The day passed by rather quickly after that. Dean left around two to go get some stuff from home as well as the Impala, if they were going to be heading out of town, he’d need his _baby_. 

As he approached his house he noticed that his father’s truck was in the driveway and a feeling of dread encroached on his happiness. He sucked it up because he had to if he wanted to go away with Cas -he needed to get inside that house, which meant he needed to see his father. 

He walked through the front door, the house was bit too warm for his liking, but with him gone that meant that there was no one to keep turning down the temperature every time John decided to turn it up. 

“Sam, that you?” John called from the kitchen, walking into the doorway to stare down the long hallway at his son. Dean merely waved halfheartedly before he sprang towards the steps.

“Can I talk to you a minute, Dean?” John’s voice halted him in his forward momentum and he abandoned all hope of getting out of the house easily. He turned around and headed for the kitchen where John was making a pot pie, a bottle of beer was already open on the countertop, half drank. How many he’d had so far, Dean didn’t know. 

“Dad.” Dean said, his throat was unbearably dry all of a sudden and what he wanted to do was crack open a beer himself, but he needed to be focused for this conversation and picking up one of his fathers’ bad habits was not the way to go about things, it wasn’t how he was going to make it through this. 

“Look, Dean, I’m sorry... About the other night.” John sighed, his voice was grim and he sounded like he might actually mean it. Dean knew then and there that his father had already had way too many; he would never be nice to Dean without outside influence, and in this case, the influence was probably a half empty bottle of Jim Beam somewhere. 

“It’s fine, Dad. I get it. It was important to all of us, and it breaking sucked. I don’t have _anything_ left of mom. At least you have your memories.” Dean said quickly, hoping that his father didn’t pick up on half the words he’d said. The look he gave him shortly after his statement told him otherwise. 

“Yeah.” He laughed spitefully, picking up his beer bottle and swallowing some of the amber liquid, “I get it, son. I just wanted to say I’m sorry.” He shook his head and rubbed at his face, turning his back on Dean who knew that meant it was the end of their conversation. 

All things considered, it wasn’t _that bad_. Dean headed out of the kitchen but before he rounded the corner to the stairs he turned back, and he had no clue what possessed him to say what he was about to say, but he felt that if he didn’t say it, then he would be responsible if his father was found dead in a pool of his own vomit. 

“Maybe don’t drink yourself into a coma, huh?” He muttered, but the slight turn of John’s head told him that he’d heard it and Dean hurried up the stairs before the shouting could start. 

Dean began shoving some articles of clothing into his bag, being sure to stuff his favorite shirt in so he could give it to Cas as a thank you. Or just because it’s a regular thing for people who are in a relationship to do. Dean sunk down onto the foot of his bed, running that word through his mind over and over again. _Relationship_. Is that what he and Cas were in?

They needed to get on the same page, he’d talk to him later. For now he had to figure out where they were going.

An idea sparked in his mind and he pulled out his phone. He had a friend Benny at the University of Delaware who would probably be hosting a party of some sort. He was always hosting a party of some sort, it was his way of life. Not that Dean often partied at Frat houses, but those would be the only places with people in them, so that would be a place he could take Cas. Benny replied almost immediately and told him that he’d be _overjoyed_ to see Dean and his newest ‘boy toy.’ Dean didn’t reply but scoffed and shoved his phone back into his pocket before leaving his room. 

Dean slipped out of his house quietly, hoping that his Dad wouldn’t call him in for anymore talks, but he was probably plopped in front of the television with his blinders on by now. He got a text from Castiel telling him to pick him up at his house so he drove straight to the Novak’s, Cas was waiting for him out front, bag in hand, smile on his face. 

Dean pulled up to the curb and rolled down the window, giving Cas his cockiest smile, “Hey _baby_ , goin my way?” He asked, Castiel rolled his eyes. 

“I don’t think you can afford it.” Cas answered dryly, had Dean been drinking anything, he’d have spit it out. Instead he sputtered a laugh and shook his head. Castiel took that as a win and smugly rounded the car, climbing into the passenger’s seat. 

“Where are we going?” He asked, sliding across the seat until he was pressed against Dean who immediately wrapped an arm around him. 

“A friend of mine, Benny, said we could come visit him. So I figured why not.” Dean smiled at Cas who nodded, thinking. 

“And where is Benny?” 

“University of Delaware, Alpha Kappa house.” Dean answered shortly, Cas snorted a bit. 

“A _fraternity_?” He almost laughed, Dean looked down at him momentarily before returning his attention to the road.

“What?” 

“Nothing.” Cas shut his mouth quickly and enjoyed resting against Dean, it wasn’t going to be _too_ long of a ride, after all, Delaware was only so big. 

They arrived at the house before the sun had even begun to set; as soon as Dean pulled into the driveway, the door flung open and out walked a buff blonde guy with a beard who was grinning widely at Dean and Cas. Castiel hesitated a bit upon exiting the car and instead watched as Dean got out and rushed into the man’s outstretched arms. They hugged hard, a lot of pats were involved and Cas tilted his head -Dean must have known this man when he was straight.

Castiel breathed deeply and got out of the car, he left his bag behind, and walked up to the two of them. Dean turned, grinning widely to Cas and pulled him over with a hand between his shoulders. 

“This is Cas.” Dean said, “Cas, this is Benny.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Cas.” Benny smiled, he had a southern lilt to his voice but he seemed nice enough as he held out his hand for Cas to accept, which he did and the shake was a bit rough, but didn’t seem too forced. 

“Same.” Cas replied awkwardly, Benny laughed a bit and then turned back to the front door, holding out an arm to beckon them in. 

“Welcome to my humble abode.” They pushed into the large house that had guys everywhere setting up for what Cas could only assume was a party that they’d be having later that night, “Back to school shindig.” Benny confirmed his suspicions, “Most of the upper classmen have already returned, if they left at all.”

Benny led them up a large staircase and down a hall to an empty bedroom, Dean left to grab their bags, which led to Cas and Benny staring at one another in silence. 

“So, how long have you known Dean?” Castiel asked, breaking the awkward silence. 

“A while.” Benny smiled, “We met our freshman year. Been best buds ever since.” Cas was surprised at that, he didn’t know Dean actually went to college. Benny seemed to pick up on Cas’ silence and chuckled lowly to himself, “There’s a lot of things you don’t know about him, _angel boy_ , you’ll learn em soon enough.” 

Castiel blanched at the nickname and was about to reply when Dean came back, smiling widely as he threw the bags into the room. 

“Hungry?” He asked him, Castiel nodded and Dean turned to Benny, “We’ll be back later and y’know, catch up.” 

“Course, brother.” Benny said before turning out of the room and walking down the hall; Dean led Cas from the house and down the street, they walked slowly down the sidewalk, Cas didn’t know where they were going but was already grateful to be out of that house. 

“So you met Benny when-” Castiel asked, he halted near the end, not quite knowing how to word it, _when you attempted college?_

Dean laughed, “I tried the college thing right after high school, came here, met Benny, almost pledged... It wasn’t for me. I dropped out before midterms. Then I got together with Lisa and... Well things happened. Benny was the first person I _came out_ to, I guess. It was in that house that I had my first... _Encounter_.” 

“Oh.” Castiel replied, not knowing what else to say. They arrived at a diner and pushed in, sitting in a booth. Dean ordered a burger, Cas got the same.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, shouldn’t he have graduated already then?” Castiel asked between bites of his food. Dean laughed into his own and nodded. 

“Yeah, except he’s now getting his master’s. Something about wanting to milk the system for as long as he can.” Dean shrugged, though it was obvious to Cas that he admired this man. Castiel wasn’t sure how he felt about him. Though he pushed the feeling aside, if Dean trusted and cared about this man, then he could certainly get along with, or maybe even learn to like, him. 

They spent the next few hours walking around the city before they finally made it back around to the house where there were people already flooding in. They walked into what looked like an entirely different house and if Cas hadn’t been so sure that Dean was sure, he’d have assumed it was the wrong one. There were people everywhere, a large stereo system in one room and kegs all around, plus a table full of various liquors. Castiel almost laughed a the stereotypical look of a ‘college party’ that it had, but found that he was actually quite amazed. Dean shrugged and smirked as he led him through the party to find Benny. 

There were multiple people who recognized Dean and shouted at him before nearly tackling him. At some point during their walk through the party, their hands became unclasped and Cas was often shoved aside so people could dote on Dean, but he always introduced whoever was attacking him to Castiel who would smile and wave awkwardly. 

They’d finally found Benny around the kitchen area where he was chatting up a few different people, though when he saw Dean and Cas his eyes lit up and he called them over. All but a couple of the people he’d been talking to vanished and there was ample room for the two of them. 

Their conversation wasn’t very interesting and Castiel found himself grabbing at his pocket for his inhaler, he wasn’t used to this sort of crowd and was rather uncomfortable.

“I have to use the bathroom.” Cas muttered to Dean who was in a rather excited conversation with Benny about some guy they both knew who called himself the Alpha Alpha.

“Okay, _baby_ , hurry back.” Dean muttered back to him, using that word again that set Cas’ stomach flipping as Dean gave him a wink; he blushed as he pushed through the crowd. He found an empty bathroom upstairs near the room they were staying in and slammed the door shut behind him. The sudden lack of people was like a breath of fresh air and he was able to breath again, the need for his inhaler suddenly diminished. 

He stared at himself in the mirror before he turned on the water and splashed some of it on his face, “Come on, Novak, you can do this.” He muttered to himself, “It’s just a few frat guys, nothing to worry about.” 

Cas had never had an anxiety attack before, but he was pretty sure he was on the verge of one. 

A voice from the shower clued him into the fact that he wasn’t actually as alone in the bathroom as he thought he was. 

“Who’s in here?” She called out, Cas almost ran for it, until he noticed the voice was sort of sad, like she’d been crying. 

“Uh, sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude.” Cas called back, though he began walking towards the shower, “Are you okay?” He asked, stopping just in front of the curtain, not pulling it back. 

“Parties.” She laughed, “They’re pointless.” 

“Then why are you here?” He asked bluntly, the girl snorted. 

“Same reason you probably are, trying to get laid.” Castiel’s cheeks burned even though she couldn’t see him, she laughed, “Thought so. Just make sure the girl you’re after actually plays for your team.”

“I’m not after any girl.” Cas laughed, the curtain was pulled back to reveal a watery-eyed red head with a tablet in her lap, “You brought a tablet to a party?” 

“I bring my tablet everywhere.” She shrugged, “Charlie Bradbury.” She held out her hand, a sort of smile on her face. Cas took it and shook lightly. 

“Castiel.” He answered, “Novak, Castiel Novak.” 

“Nice to meet you, care to tell me why you barged into my bathroom unannounced?” Her tone was light though her words were accusatory, it made Cas laugh. 

“Trying to escape the crowds, I guess? This isn’t really _my scene_.” 

“Then why are you here?” She asked, mimicking his earlier question with a gleam in her eye. 

“I-uh... Came here with my-my...” Cas blanked at what to refer to Dean as, “The guy I’m seeing has some friends here.” He used Dean’s earlier term and decided it didn’t sound that bad. 

“And you’re not with them because?” She asked, her head tilted, obviously much more interested in talking about his problems than her own. Cas shrugged, feeling a bit defeated. Charlie shook her head and half smiled at him

“We’re adults, right?” Charlie asked suddenly, her posture suddenly straightening.

“Yes.” Cas answered, though it came out as more of a question. 

“We’re confident and hot!” She exclaimed as she began to stand up, Castiel stood with her. 

“Yeah!” He shouted this time to her confidence inspiring attitude, she smirked and held out a hand for him. 

“You’re gonna go back to your guy, and I’m gonna go after my girl!” She said as he took her hand and they exited the bathroom into the hallway where the music from downstairs was slightly muffled. They walked past the room that he and Dean were to be using that night. 

“Hold on...” He said, reaching for her tablet, she struggled to keep it, “Trust me, you’ll need to focus your attention on whoever it is you’re trying to get.” He smiled as she released the piece of technology and he set it in their room after she said the greatest farewell Cas had ever seen. 

They bounded down the stairs, still hand in hand and stared at the party. 

“Where’s your man-friend?” Charlie asked, scanning the party. Cas motioned with his head to where Dean and Benny were standing, “Damn, Dean Winchester? Nice.” She sounded extremely impressed. 

“Well where’s the girl you’re after?” Cas asked, Charlie pointed to an attractive brunette across the room who was wearing a flowing white sundress, she was almost glowing. She glanced over as soon as Cas’ eyes found her and she beamed across at Charlie, “Go get her.” Cas muttered and Charlie breathed in deeply. 

“Catch ya later, bitches.” She said to just Cas, though he felt like it was appropriate and laughed slightly as he made his way back over to Dean and Benny. 

“Hey! Thought you might have fallen in.” Dean exclaimed upon Cas’ return. 

“There was a girl who needed help with something.” Cas explained quickly and he almost had Dean’s hand in his own again when the older man made a move to leave.

“I’m going to get another beer, you want one, Cas?” He asked, Cas smiled and nodded and Dean kissed his cheek before heading into the party. 

“So, hot wings, how long have you been sleeping with Dean?” Castiel blinked for a moment, trying to absorb the other new nick name he’d just been given.

“We aren’t.” Cas answered with a shrug, “We’re just-” 

“Oh!” Benny laughed, “Ok.” He nodded, seeming to understand something that Cas wasn’t quite getting, he tilted his head up at the man who was still laughing somewhat. 

“I don’t understand.” Cas said, Benny sucked in a breath in an attempt to reel in his laughter.

“You’re a virgin, right?” He asked, Cas could tell that he was somewhat intoxicated and wasn’t really up to talking with him, but he was one of Dean’s closest friends, so he figured he should at least try. 

“I don’t see how that’s any of your-” He was cut off by Benny reaching forward and pulling Cas in, turning him so that they were side by side so he could speak directly into Castiel’s ear. 

“It goes like this, angel boy, Dean’s going to make you comfortable, make you feel like you can trust him, and then he’ll make his move. Why do you think he brought you here? It’ll happen tonight, just don’t be surprised when he don’t call you anymore. Ask anyone here, he’s done it _plenty_.” 

“Why are you telling me this?” Castiel asked, his brow furrowed. 

“You seem like a nice kid, I just don’t want you to get your hopes up.” Benny released Cas and let him back away in time to see Dean staring at them, two beers in hand. Cas looked at him with wide eyes and his jaw clenched, his fists tightened around the beers and he looked about ready to throw them at his friend.

“What?” Benny asked as Dean walked up to them and handed a beer to Cas before placing his hand in that spot between his shoulder blades and pushing him through the crowd toward the front door, “What’d I do!” Benny shouted from behind them, Cas watched as Dean glared behind them at him before they walked out the front door onto the oddly quiet front porch. Dean plopped down on the steps and drank from his bottle, Cas sat next to him, not knowing what to say. 

“He tell you that I’m basically gonna hit it and quit it?” Dean asked, Cas almost laughed at the phrasing. 

“A bit more eloquently, but yes.” Castiel replied, looking down at his beer for a few silent moments before drinking from it. Dean sighed next to him and chugged the rest of his almost full bottle before setting it next to his feet on the step below the one they were sitting on. 

“You met me before, you know how I was.” Dean muttered, running his hands through his hair, Cas was about to speak but then Dean launched into a speech, “Being out here was a bit different than back home, here I had to kind of lead guys on first before I got them to do anything. It wasn’t like that all the time, but yeah, I’m sure whatever Benny told you was true for the _old me_.”

“What changed?” Castiel asked, his voice quiet, because yeah, he’d been wondering exactly what it was that turned Dean into someone that was willing to cuddle with him without doing anything first. 

“You.” Dean said, “It’s like you dropped out of the sky or something, you chose the ice cream shop that I work at, your parents knew mine, I idolized your brother, it’s like we were just meant to happen. I don’t know how to explain it, Cas. It’s just that, when you’re not near me I feel like I’m missing something. It’s like... I _need_ you, or something.” His voice dropped off near the end into a near whisper, but Castiel heard every word; he reached over and cupped Dean’s cheek with his hand, worrying his thumb over his cheek bone before meeting his lips which were already on their way to his. Cas ran his free hand through Dean’s hair once before dragging his fingertips down his neck to his shoulder where he squeezed lightly. That hand ended up gripping the fabric of Dean’s shirt at his waist and for the first time since their very first kiss, Cas let his tongue flick out against Dean’s bottom lip. Dean made a surprised noise in his throat before opening his mouth, allowing him entrance. 

Dean still knew that Cas’ head tilt was his favorite thing, even as it was being used to deepen their kiss; he was pulling Cas so much that he was practically in his lap and Dean allowed his hands to wander a bit. He hadn’t actually had a chance to feel Cas, not properly. So he let his hands go from Castiel’s face, through his hair, to his arm and then to his back. He finally curved his hands beneath Cas and lifted him the rest of the way onto his lap so he could try to get even more impossibly closer to him.

He knew they probably shouldn’t have been having such a feverish make-out session on the front porch of a party, but he really didn’t give a damn. It was a college, these things were happening everywhere. 

“Woh-hoh!” A female voice said as the door opened. Dean broke away not only for air but to turn around and identify their intruder. 

“Charlie.” Both he and Cas said at the same time, taking a moment to look at one another in confusion. 

“Carry on, boys.” She laughed, leading a brunette girl behind her, “Don’t let us stop you!” She pulled the girl behind her and they disappeared around the corner of the house. 

“You know Charlie?” Castiel asked, Dean wanted to ask how _he_ knew Charlie, “I met her in the bathroom upstairs.” He answered the question Dean was only thinking. 

“Charlie is one of the greatest people you will ever meet.” Dean smiled at Cas before kissing him lightly one more time. 

“Should we-” Cas stopped mid-sentence and pressed his forehead into Dean’s, his eyes drifted closed and Dean looked at him up close, admiring his long lashes and smooth skin before Cas spoke again, “Move this inside?” He asked timidly, Dean brushed his nose against Castiel’s, getting him to pick up his head so he could look into those blue pools that he’d grown to love. 

“Only if you want to.” Dean answered, Castiel half smiled and nodded, working his way off of Dean’s lap so he could stand, Dean followed and willingly interlaced their fingers before they walked back into the party. They said nothing to anyone and Dean let himself be led upstairs by Castiel. 

This was the third time he’d been led up a flight of stairs by this man, and if he had it his way, it wouldn’t be the last. Not only did Cas have a rather amazing backside, the feeling he got every time it happened was unparalleled to anything he’d ever felt before. His stomach was flipping, his heart racing, and he had a smile plastered onto his face, one that nothing could erase; not even glancing over at a smug Benny could wipe the grin from his mouth. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ABRUPT ENDING, I'M A TEASE!


	10. We Are The Kids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas have some personal time, but come home to a surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We pick up where we left off! Sexy fun times!!
> 
> ANGST! 
> 
> Err, for the end of this, trigger warning? I suppose? Like... I'm not good at warning about these things...  
> John finds out, bad things happen, child abuse and shit.

The upstairs hall was surprisingly quiet; Dean halted behind Cas just before they opened the door and Castiel looked back at him, expecting to see some form of regret dawning on his face. All he saw, however, was adoration and a small smile as he stared across the short spans. 

Without hesitation or preamble, he surged forward and pushed Cas against the door frame, Castiel only had time to gasp before Dean’s lips were covering his and their tongues were flicking against each others. Cas wrapped his arms around Dean’s neck and pulled him closer, he could already feel Dean pressing against him, his hands were pulling at Cas’ hips: his thumbs were caressing the bones there. As Dean pulled back, he grazed his teeth lightly across the other man’s bottom lip. 

Castiel couldn’t help himself, he whimpered hopelessly as Dean backed off of the kiss. Dean half smiled with a slight chuckle and with his thumb caressed Cas’ cheekbone, cupping said cheek in the process. 

“Let’s move this _inside_ the room, shall we?” Dean’s voice was soft, low and pure lust; it was a sound Cas had never experience before, but his reaction was probably exactly what Dean wanted and expected. He nodded and let out a shaky breath as his pants became unbearably tight against him. 

The door of the room opened somehow and Cas suddenly found himself within the confines and privacy of those four walls. The bed was an unspoken question between them and as if it was his answer, Cas stood beside it; a direct parallel to his unsureness. His heart was pounding in his ears and his stomach was turning almost to the point of nausea. 

_He wasn’t ready._

Two arms snaked themselves around Castiel’s waist and Dean rested his chin in the crook between his neck and shoulder, kissing lightly before Cas felt those perfect lips graze his ear, but not to kiss or suck, lick or bite; it was to speak, to reassure. 

“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.” Then there was a soft kiss behind his ear and Cas leaned back into the embrace, breathing deeply as he tried to qualm the fears in his chest. 

“Not that-” Cas rasped out, his voice slightly deeper in his whisper then he’d expected it to be, he turned in Dean’s arms so he could look into his eyes, “Not yet.” 

He received an understanding smile from Dean and a slow, lingering kiss. Dean went to pull away, but Cas held him there, “Wait-just because we’re not going to... It doesn’t mean we can’t have _other_ fun...” Dean’s slight disappointment was gone in an instant and that look of lust had returned. 

Cas let his hands run down Dean’s front and he hooked his fingers into the top of his jeans at his belt, “Can I touch you?” Cas nearly whispered, his eyes moving from his hands to Dean’s deep green irises. Dean swallowed thickly and merely nodded; it was the consent Cas needed to move one hand down to cup him through his jeans and he watched as Dean sucked in a deep and unsteady breath as he fought the urge to take control. It was Castiels turn to let Dean know how much he cared, Dean had already shown him enough. He needed this man to know how much he was needed in return. 

Castiel had somewhat of an idea of what to do, he’d done it a few times with Balthazar, he wasn’t completely lacking in this area. He dragged his fingertips over the bulge, being sure to apply as little pressure as possible while still letting his presence be known. His fingertips found the button of Dean’s pants and as he popped it and reached in, he turned the now pliable Dean around and the moment the backs of his knees hit the bed he fell into a sitting position. Castiel was draped over him, their eyes locked, their breathing already ragged when his hand found its destination. 

He hesitated a brief moment, his fingers wrapped around Dean, and took that time to catalog how he felt beneath the palm of his hand. His length and width, the warmth of the skin there, the pulsing of the veins. When he finally moved his hand in long, even strokes, Dean let out a noise akin to a whimper, desperately seeking Castiel’s lips which he gave willingly. 

Castiel didn’t plan to just use his hand, in fact he began kissing past Dean’s mouth to his stubble-covered jaw, down to his neck. Dean picked up on this and released his hold on Cas’ hair long enough to rip his own shirt off over his head and toss it aside. Cas smirked slightly and looked up at Dean as he made his way lower, bypassing his smooth chest, he darted his tongue out to lick a streak down the slightly chiseled abs that Dean had going for him until he met his hand where he continued to lick a streak up the length of Dean, who clenched his jaw at the sensation. 

Castiel breathed out as he licked over the leaking tip and then breathed in deeply as he took as much of Dean as he could into his mouth. With hollow cheeks he worked his way around Dean with the occasional glance up at the half shut eyes of the man that he... Loved? 

He had a vague memory of telling Jo exactly that when he was drunk, but he couldn’t be sure. He had come to that realization not long before the bonfire that he was falling deeply in love with Dean Winchester. It was a dangerous thing, feeling so strongly about someone that you weren’t sure would feel the same back. 

As he showed Dean just how much he cared, just how much he needed him around, and how much he needed to be needed in return. 

“Cas-” Dean muttered, pulling at Cas’ hair, “I can’t-” He was struggling to form a coherent thought, Castiel hummed around him, which only served to make the struggle more real. He didn’t want to ruin the moment by finishing somewhere Castiel didn’t want it. 

Cas looked up at him and glanced to the foot of the bed, Dean turned to see a stack of towels probably left for them by Benny. He reached over and grabbed the one on top, nodding at Cas to continue and he did, seemingly putting all of his focus and effort into it, even more so than before and Dean felt it. Every last inch of him was covered, whether it was the hand at his base which was following all of Cas’ movements or the part of him that was in the wet heat of Castiel’s amazing and beautiful mouth. The way his lips were gliding gracefully over his skin, how his tongue swirled as he moved, it was the most amazing thing Dean had ever felt and he couldn’t help but wonder if his feelings added to the experience. 

It was new and exciting and scary and the sudden increase in speed and friction was causing him to have to resist the urge to jerk forward against Cas and instead he was reaching aside for that towel and tapping Castiel’s shoulder so he could move aside, finish somewhere safe, somewhere that he wouldn’t mess things up too badly. Castiel backed off, but continued to stroke him and he stood up, pressing his lips to Dean’s as he found his finish and spilled out into the white terrycloth that he was holding against himself. 

Cas stroked his hands through Dean’s hair as he rode the waves of ecstasy, and when he’d finally slowed his breathing and looked up at Cas, he smiled. 

“You’re wearing far too many clothes.” Dean said, tossing aside the used towel and practically attacking Castiel. He tugged his shirt over his head and nearly ripped his jeans open. Cas laughed and backed up, holding Dean at arms length. 

“Alright, alright.” He chuckled and pulled his jeans over his feet, kicking them aside as he stood up straight and looked at Dean, who was still staring at him with the utmost adoration. They tumbled into bed laughing. 

Dean awoke the next morning not to the annoying interruptions of a brother or an alarm blaring classic rock, but to the sunlight streaming in through the curtains. He scrunched his face at the intrusion of light but felt feather light kisses being pressed into his collar bone and was immediately relieved of all stress the brightness cause him. Instead he blocked out the harsh morning rays with a head of dark hair as he brought smiling lips up to meet his own. 

“Morning.” Dean sighed against the kiss, Castiel smiled and kissed back. The door then creaked open and broke apart their early morning cuddle fest. 

“Hey!” The red head said, her expression apologetic. 

“Charlie.” Dean rasped, “Not that it’s not great to see you, but-” 

“Just grabbin my tablet, Big D.” Charlie winked as she grabbed just that before backing out of the room, “Smell ya later, bitches!” The door shut as softly as it had opened and they were once again alone. 

Castiel sighed against Dean’s neck as he wrapped his arms around his waist. Dean’s arm found its way around Cas’ back and he began dragging his fingertips over the smooth skin. The skin to skin contact wasn’t lost on the older man, he was relishing in the warmth it provided all while trying to keep his mind from going in the gutter too much. But it was difficult with Cas so close, his warm breath ghosting across Dean’s skin. 

“Question-” Cas’ deep voice cut through the silence, Dean inhaled deeply and looked down at the now retreating head of dark hair. Castiel’s eyes met his and he smiled softly, “Why has Benny been calling me _angel_ _boy_?” His brows were furrowed, his head tilted as much as it could be in their current position, Dean wanted to laugh but refrained. 

“Who knows.” Dean shrugged, “Maybe because you’re so damn gorgeous you’ve gotta be an angel.” Castiel laughed and shook his head, Dean’s cheeks blushed slightly, he couldn’t believe he’d just said those words out loud.

“Try again.” Cas said, though his lips were still turned up slightly. 

“He’s weird. He probably thinks you’re too innocent, that I’m trying to corrupt you or something. I mean going off what he told you last night-” 

“But he probably assumes that I don’t know you the way I do.” Castiel cut him off, his hand splayed out on Deans chest as he propped himself up onto his elbow, effectively pinning Dean down with not only his hand but also his stare, “You can’t corrupt me if I’m incorruptible.” 

“Meaning?” 

“If these thoughts and ideas were already on my mind before I met you, then you didn’t corrupt me. You merely brought it out.” Cas cut off any response Dean may have had by kissing him and then stretching, shuffling to his side of the bed as if he were going to stand. 

“No, don’t you even think about moving!” Dean said, pulling Castiel back into him. Cas laughed and settled against Dean’s side.

Eventually, through the haze of half-asleep kisses and some mild stroking, the smell of various breakfast foods infiltrated their senses. As if on cue, both Cas and Deans stomachs’ growled simultaneously. They laughed against each other’s skin. 

“Does this mean we have to get up?” Dean muttered, Cas groaned slightly and stretched against Dean. 

“I suppose.” He sighed in response and they eventually let go of one another long enough to stand from the bed. Dean wondered how he was able to resist touching Cas for so long because now that was all he wanted to do. He glanced back over his shoulder and saw Castiel from behind, still fully nude, and it was enough to make him want to grab him and pull him back into bed for an extended period of time. Castiel must have felt Dean’s eyes on him because he turned back in time to catch Dean eyeing his backside. 

“Dean.” He cleared his throat, Dean’s eyes snapped up to meet his own, Cas laughed, “Food?” 

“Oh, right.” Dean laughed a bit awkwardly, “Food.” He half smiled and pulled his jeans on, Cas did the same with a shake of his head. Though he was smiling so wide it might have split his face in two. 

They exited the bedroom and descended the stairs, hand in hand-it was ridiculous how much Dean felt like a lovesick teenager with Cas, but it was the only thing to describe his feelings exactly. They walked into the kitchen to find Benny flipping pancakes, he turned and smirked.

“Good morning sleeping beauties.” He crooned, “Have a seat.” They did just that and he set two plates in front of them filled with an array of breakfast foods. 

“You cooked all this?” Cas asked, looking with wide eyes up at Benny who half laughed. 

“I don’t sleep much, so I get up early and cook breakfast. It’s a tradition.” He shrugged and then sat down with his own plate full of nothing but pancakes. Castiel glanced at Dean who was already stuffing his mouth with bacon before he began eating as well. 

“I realize I may have been a bit rude to you before, Castiel.” Benny broke them out of their food induced stupor eventually, Castiel looked up at the awkwardly smiling man. It was clear that he was trying to apologize and was immensely uncomfortable. This thought gave Castiel peace of mind. Dean looked up, a slight hint of anger still in his eyes. Benny looked from Dean to Cas and then continued, “It’s clear to me now that you’re the real deal.” 

“Am I?” Castiel asked, brows furrowed. 

“Course!” Benny smiled, “Dean hasn’t brought many conquests down to breakfast.” 

“Dean hasn’t brought any conquests here from Rehoboth either.” Dean interjected, his brows raised as he cut into some pancakes and stuffed them into his mouth with a spiteful smile. 

“You’re right, brother. You haven’t. I shoulda known.” It was clear that Benny was only saying what he knew Dean wanted to hear and Castiel decided that it must have been a stringent of their friendship. As long as he pretended to feel sorry, it was enough for Dean. 

“Damn right you should have.” Dean replied, he stopped eating and stared evenly across the small space at Benny who was clearly surprised by Dean’s reaction. Castiel watched, slightly confused, at the exchange of testosterone fueled glares, this must not be usual for them. He was probably used to Dean forgiving him easily; so what was different about this time?

Suddenly Benny smiled, and began to laugh lightly. Castiel looked at Dean who had a very confused look before realization must have dawned on him and he, too, began laughing. Castiel didn’t, because he didn’t really understand the exchange. So he ate some bacon, there was always a reason to eat more bacon. 

Nothing was explained to Castiel after that, but the conversation became a bit more light hearted and they were acting like what Cas decided was their normal selves. Their friendship was weird, but Castiel didn’t try to understand. It was nice to see Dean so carefree with someone other than him.

After breakfast Dean announced that they had to go. Cas was under the impression they’d be staying longer, but didn’t argue with him. They got into the Impala and drove off, Dean reached over and pulled Cas to him, wrapping his arm around his shoulder and keeping him there. 

“I thought we’d be staying longer?” Castiel asked, breaking their comfortable silence. 

“Benny was coming up with ideas for things that we could all do together, and forgive me for being selfish, I want to spend some time with _just you_.” Cas couldn’t help the grin that began to form on his face as he looked up at Dean who chanced a glance down at him and was clearly fighting off a grin of his own. 

Cas pushed himself up and kissed Dean lightly beneath his jaw before resting his head against his shoulder. The sigh of contentment and happiness Dean released not a second later kept that grin on Cas’ face for a majority of the ride. His cheeks were starting to hurt by the time they pulled into a random diner for some lunch. 

By the time they’d reached Rehoboth, Castiel was tired of being in the car, but wasn’t tired of Dean’s presence. 

“You’re coming in when we get to my house, right?” Cas asked, Dean squeezed his shoulder. 

“Course.” He muttered before clearing his throat, “Though I _should_ go home tonight.” 

“If you feel you need to.” Cas replied, he agreed that Dean should figure out what his home situation was. 

They pulled up to the Novak house and reluctantly got out of the car, not bothering with his own door, Castiel followed Dean out of his own so they could remain hand in hand. 

“Just know that if you _do_ go home, my bed will always be open to you.” Cas nearly muttered, Dean stopped walking and stared down at him, smirking slightly, “Not like _that._ ”

“Oh really?” Dean asked, Castiel grinned. 

“Maybe a little bit like that.” He muttered as Dean kissed him lightly, it was sweet, happy, loving, Castiel could feel the words swelling within his chest, “Dean, I love-” He’d gotten nearly the whole declaration out, Dean’s eyes were wide with anticipation when they heard an unwelcome voice. 

“Dean?” They turned towards the front steps of the Novak home to see John Winchester standing with Michael and a grinning Gabriel. 

“Dad-” Dean immediately took a huge step back from Castiel, he released his death grip on Cas’ hands and shoved his own into his pockets. Cas stared from his now empty hands briefly before he was able to bring himself to look at John, who’s face had gone from furious to stoic and he’d began to descend the stairs. He brushed past Dean and headed straight for the Impala.

“We’re leaving.” He growled, Dean stared helplessly at Castiel as he mouthed _sorry_ and made his way to the passengers side of the Impala. Though he was in his twenties, Dean looked as if he was a child, his shoulders were slumped, his head was hung. Castiel stared as the car backed out of the driveway and turned onto the road, he stared until it was out of sight, until he felt hands on his shoulders. It was Gabriel, his goofy smile was all but gone and his golden eyes were filled with nothing but sorrow. 

“C’mon, lover boy. Let’s get inside.” Cas allowed himself to be pulled into his house by his brother, the twisting feeling in the pit of his stomach had yet to subside. _What was going to happen to Dean?_

* * *

 

Dean sat in the front seat of the Impala, staring at his house. He’d never been more terrified to follow his father inside, he wasn’t sure what conversation awaited him, but he was sure it had less to do with words and more to do with fists. He wasn’t in the mood for a physical fight, he’d just had the bet few days of his life, he couldn’t let it all get ruined now. 

He couldn’t hide in the car forever, eventually John would come out and get him, or worse, start the fight in the street. So he nervously climbed out and made his way into the house. He hoped Sammy wouldn’t be home to hear this, but he doubted he’d be so lucky. 

“Dean, in here, _now_.” It was the dangerous parent voice. He hadn’t missed the fact that the whole ride home he couldn’t smell a trace of alcohol on his father; he’d been _sober_. But as he walked into the kitchen he saw him downing a can of whatever they had in their fridge and felt a pang of guilt hit him. He’d just driven his father to drink. 

“Dad, before you say anything, what you _saw_ -” 

“Shut up.” John growled, crushing the now-empty can between his fingers. Dean’s jaw snapped shut and he stood at attention, he’d never been more afraid of his father than he was in this moment, “What I saw was you kissing another boy. What I _saw_ was my son-” He broke off, clearly struggling to find the right words, Dean was afraid of what those words might be, “Please don’t tell me that you’re-you can’t be...” He cracked open another beer and began downing that one too. 

“What do you want me to say, Dad?” Dean’s voice broke as he asked it, he could feel the stinging in his eyes, “That I’m _not_ gay? I’m not...” John looked at him for a moment, expectantly, slightly confused, “Bisexual if you want to get technical about it, cause I occasionally take home chicks... Though I lean more towards guys, yeah-” 

“Shut up!” John shouted, his face morphing into a look of pure disgust, he crushed the next can and threw it aside as he began approaching Dean slowly, dangerously, “You _will not_ see that boy-” 

“Or what, Dad?” Dean shouted at his father, he was an adult, he didn’t have to take this, “You’ll ground me? I’m 23! I can do what ever the _fuck_ I want!” 

He didn’t have time to dodge or react, John’s fist flew towards his face and things went dark. 

* * *

 

Castiel was awoken in the middle of the night to his door opening, the storm should have woken him but it didn’t, he’d slept right on through it. Though the intrusion into his personal space was not one he could ignore. Expecting to see one of his brother’s bothering him, he grabbed a pillow, ready to throw. Instead he saw Dean, drenched and covered in blood. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanna say, about the towel thing during the BJ scene... I thought that it was something really really real. Like not everyone swallows guys! Omg, that's too much information. Lmao.


	11. Come Under the Covers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened? What will happen?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of the only chapter that just really goes with the theme of the song... I mean... It's a sexy song... And it's a sexy chapter... After a bit of explaining, some angst, whatever. 
> 
> Enjoy!

_Dean came to on the floor of his kitchen, he’d expected his father to still be hitting him, but he wasn’t. He’d expected to be in an extreme amount of pain, but he wasn’t. In fact, he felt fine, except for the searing headache from the initial blow his father dealt him. He sat up and looked around, wondering exactly what had happened and why he wasn’t being carted off to a hospital._

  _Sam was standing over him, he’d just noticed it. He was terrified and angry, his knuckles were bloody, bruised; his face was wild, he had never seen Sam this way before._

  _“Dean.” Sam said, breathing in deeply, he clenched his fists and winced._

  _“Sammy.” Dean said warily, cupping his head as he stood to his feet, the change in pressure causing his headache to worsen, “What happened?”_

  _“I walked in just in time to see dad hit you, and I just snapped. He called you a fag, it didn’t sit well with me.”_

  _“Clearly.” Dean said, taking a hesitant step toward his younger brother, “What happened?”_

  _“I hit him.” Sam shrugged, “Defended you like you’ve defended me.”_

 " _And you’re covered in blood, why?” Dean took Sam’s hand into his own to inspect his knuckles, they weren’t as bad as they looked._

  _“Because I didn’t stop.” Sam said, “Come on.” He beckoned for Dean to follow him, they walked into the hall where the gun had broken the week before to find their father lying motionless on the floor. Dean stopped his tracks and sucked in an uneasy breath. He let it out, it was quivering slightly, he wasn’t sure he wanted to check his father’s pulse._

  _“He’s not dead.” Sam nearly scoffed, Dean stared up at him._

  _“Looks like it.” Dean muttered, but continued towards his father anyway. He leaned over his father in time to hear the first crash of thunder sound from outside. He looked back at Sam, who was staring at him with a slight grimace, “What?”_

_“You’re bleeding.” Sam said, Dean felt the trickle of blood roll down his face._

A resounding crack sprang Dean from his slumber. He awoke from his dream to find that he was still sitting on the floor of his kitchen, except it wasn’t Sam standing over him, it was his father. He wasn’t standing exactly, either. He was swaying, a look of extreme shock on his face. His fist was reared back, it was a bloody mess.

Dean felt something trickle down his face, he raised a shaky hand to his cheek and pulled it away, it was splattered with blood. His father fell before him and landed on his knees. Sam stood in the doorway, a gun in his hands. He dropped it to the ground, his look one of pure shock.

“Sammy?” Dean’s voice broke as he looked from his bleeding father to his brother. 

“He was killing you, Dean.” Sam said, Dean was about to protest that until his adrenaline must have worn off, because the pain came crashing down on him. His ribs, his face, his legs. They were all throbbing. 

“He kept kicking you, over and over again.” Sam’s voice was small and panicked, “What was I _supposed_ to do, Dean?” He entered the kitchen as John fell to the floor, holding his shoulder. It wouldn’t kill him, but it was enough to stop his actions. Sam picked up the landline and pressed three numbers. 

A while later, John Winchester was being rolled out on a stretcher and Dean was being patched up by an EMT. The rain had begun to fall and Sam was being questioned by police as Jess rubbed his back. 

It was self defense. Well it was _defense_ , Dean was too unconscious to defend himself, Sam had to do it for him. 

They were all about to file back into the house, Sam was lucky he didn’t get thrown into jail, must have been a perk of living in a town where everyone knew everyone. There weren’t many people who didn’t know that John was an abusive dick, it was just a matter of time until he snapped. They wouldn’t press charges against Sam. Dean was grateful. 

“I’ll uh, see you guys later.” Dean said to Sam and Jess as they walked through the front door of the house. Dean began backpedaling, Sam turned to him, confused. 

“Where are you going?” He called after his brother, Dean suspected he already knew. 

Dean held onto his stomach as he made his way across town. His ribs weren’t broken, just bruised, in fact nothing was broken. Dean counted himself lucky. He’d been given a few pain pills in the back of that ambulance, so his body didn’t ache quite as much as it could have. He didn’t even care that he was running, half hopped up on meds, in the rain; he knew where he wanted to be, nearly dying, or watching your father nearly die, tended to put things into perspective. 

As he climbed the steps to the Novak house quickly, taking two at a time and slipped in the front door. Those guys were too trusting, they almost never locked it. Or maybe they knew Dean would be sneaking in a 1 am. Whatever the case, he was inside now, and was able to shake the rain out of his hair and kick off his dirty shoes before he ascended the steps and went in search of Cas’ room. 

He tried to open the door as quietly as he could, but it woke him up. He stared across the dark spans at Castiel, who was holding tightly onto a pillow and staring at him with his usual wide blue eyes. Dean smiled at him. 

“Dean?” Castiel asked, the worry extremely heavy on his voice, “What happened, are you okay?” He made a move to get out of bed and before Dean could stop him, his legs were thrown over the side and he was rushing to him. 

“I’m fine, Cas.” Dean grumbled as Castiel’s hands flew up to his face and touched some of the micro cuts and bruises. There was one over his right eye that was particularly bad. Dean winced despite the numbing of the pills. 

“You don’t look fine. You’re covered in blood.” Cas’ voice was tiny, worried, scared. 

“Not mine.” Dean half smiled and removed the other man’s wandering hands, taking them into his own, he kissed his knuckles, “My dad’s.” 

“What did you do?” Castiel asked, his tone wasn’t accusatory, just genuinely worried. 

“Nothing.” Dean half laughed, “Got the shit kicked out of me, Sam shot him.” 

“What?” Castiel breathed, Dean sighed. 

“He’ll be fine, minor wound, shoulder wound. Got some blood splatter on me, no big deal.” He brought up his own hand to wipe at his face, “Though I’d like to get these clothes off me now.” He stepped back from Castiel and pulled his shirt up over his head, wincing at the slight pinching in his ribs as he fully extended his arms. Cas’ eyes widened again as he saw Dean’s bare torso which undoubtedly had a large bruise. 

“Oh, Dean.” Cas whispered, stepping forward and placing a light kiss to his collar bone. His hands ghosted along Dean’s skin, running over the wounds before he raised them to his face and pulled it down to his, kissing along every cut and bruise that his father had given him until eventually he found Dean’s lips. 

“Cas.” Dean muttered against his lips, “I knew you’d take care of me.” 

Castiel nearly whimpered as he pulled Dean’s lips harder against his to deepen the kiss; Dean reveled in the feeling as his tongue snaked into his mouth, their lips a wet slide against each others. 

The feeling of potential loss fueled their movements as Dean tugged Castiel’s shirt over his head and then began pushing him backwards, towards his bed. Cas sat back against the mattress and pulled Dean down lightly to lay over him.

Dean felt the sudden sensation of friction as Castiel’s thigh ended up between his own two and he ground down against the pressure, whimpering into Cas’ mouth. He was in _almost_ too much pain to enjoy the hunger that sparked in the pit of his stomach. 

“Cas-” Dean grunted as he tried to lift himself, but his arms were too tired, his muscles too weak, “I can’t.” 

“I know.” Castiel sighed, holding Dean’s head away from his own as he let his head drop back against the bed, “Sorry.”

“ _Do not_ be sorry about this.” Dean smiled, smoothing the back of his hand over Castiel’s cheek, “I want this, I want _you_. Just... Too much pain.”

Lying on top of Cas was almost too much for his ribs at the moment, “Soon, just not now.” He leaned down and kissed Castiel again, lightly, nothing deeper, but a promise. 

“Soon.” Cas repeated, smiling, “Let’s go to sleep.” He said, pushing Dean back, helping him to his feet and then helping him out of his jeans. They laid down, entwined with one another. 

* * *

 

Dean stayed at Castiel’s house for the next seven days. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go home, but it was exactly that. Sam was staying with Jess, his father was in the hospital. His house was nothing more than empty reminder of not quite happier times. It had been happy once, when his mother was there, her blonde hair brightening up his day. Her smile making him feel warm and loved. 

The house had been rebuilt after the fire. The one that claimed her life. Dean had been just a child when it happened, but he remembered hearing his father scream. He’d gotten them out of the house and was about to go back in for her when a small explosion came from the room that had housed Mary Winchester. His dad had fallen to his knees in a bloodcurdling scream that could only mean one thing: the woman he loved was dead. Dean cried, clutching his baby brother to his chest.

Dean didn’t cry now, didn’t have need to cry. His childhood home was gone for him, he wouldn’t be returning. He had a new place that made him feel warm and happy, it was with Castiel. He was reveling in light kisses against his eyelids, a white sheet surrounding them that bathed them in a warm glow. 

Though summer was winding down and coming to an end, it didn’t mean that the couldn’t enjoy the soft breeze from the ocean. Castiel had his windows open and the smell of saltwater and sand filled his senses. It was cozy and comfortable and happy; there was no other place Dean would rather be. 

The thing that mad this morning different from the others was nothing other than the fact that they were alone. Gabriel was out of town, visiting some old girlfriend. Michael and Lucifer were at work; they didn’t have anything to do all day, no work, nothing. So they were all by themselves in Castiel’s room with a blank agenda for the day. 

Well not _completely_ blank. 

In fact he’d woken up that morning with a sudden urge to surround himself with and bury himself completely in Castiel. It was unsettling and slightly scary, but he knew what he wanted. He’d managed to slip out of bed without waking up Cas and made it down the stairs of the house silently with no interruptions, which clued him into the fact that they were _alone_. 

He’d made it out to his car, which he’d gone and picked up at a random point in the last week, along with most of his belongings, which weren’t much. Just a few duffles in the back of the Impala. It was one of these duffels that he was now digging in, rummaging around for the right package. A small square box, a small circular tube. It was what he needed, what he was sure they were ready for. Though he didn’t want to be too forward or hopeful. As he climbed the stairs of the house he was beginning to grow accustomed to, however, the nervousness of what might happen was beginning to pool in his gut. 

He walked into Castiel’s room and saw a head of disheveled black hair and tired blue eyes staring at him and his fear melted away. No matter what happened from here on out, he’d never stop loving this person in front of him. Though he’d yet to tell Castiel, he was sure of a few ways that he could show him. 

Dean wasn’t one for _making love_. It wasn’t an idea that appealed to him. Sex was all about pleasure, his pleasure, making someone else come saying his name. It was something that appealed to him. But all he could think about, as he laid back down in the bed he was beginning to think of as _theirs_ (as long as Cas would have him there) and the white sheet covered him from head to toe and Castiel pinned him down, attacking him in the nicest way possible, was giving this man everything he had. Giving him all of him, showing him how much he cared; how much he needed him. 

“Where did you go?” Castiel smiled against Dean’s neck as he hugged him against him. Dean breathed against Castiel’s black locks. 

“Out to baby.” Dean muttered, Cas huffed a laugh at Dean’s ridiculous nick name for his car. Dean didn’t care, that thing was his baby. 

“What for?” Castiel nearly whined, “I woke up alone, I thought you’d left me.” It was a slight joke, Dean could tell, but Dean felt the overwhelming need to reassure Castiel that he would never leave him. He shifted until he could have the upper hand and rolled Cas over onto his back and began kissing him. He kissed his lips, his jaw, his ears, his neck, his collar bones, his shoulders, everything he could see, he kissed. He began kissing down as well, farther down than he was originally anticipating; or perhaps that was his plan all along. 

Castiel gasped as Dean didn’t hesitate to push down past the elastic of his boxers and take his already pleasantly awaiting (side effect of the morning) member into his mouth. He raked his fingers over Cas’ hip bones, up his sides and then scratched back down as he swiveled his tongue around him the best he could. Dean reached out for the abandoned package at the head of the bed and found the bottle. 

Cas stifled a slight moan as Dean popped the cap, the resounding click as he closed it made Cas’ stomach flip with anticipation. _So this is what he disappeared for_. Castiel thought as he met Dean’s eyes and nodded in approval as his hand disappeared beneath Castiel. He felt one coated finger slip into him as Dean continued his hallowed path up and down him. He made a throaty sound as Dean slipped in the second finger after a few moments of pushing and pulling, stretching and twisting. 

Castiel had never felt as much _desire_ as he did when he called out Dean’s name, the man aborted his mission, worry in his eyes, “Please-” Cas said, Dean tilted his head slightly, a trait he was sure that he’d absorbed from himself, “I need you-” He didn’t know what else to say, he didn’t need to say anything else. There was another package beside Cas and Dean reached up to grab it. He heard the ripping of the foil, and could feel the cold slide as something came to rest against him. Dean’s eyes were even with his own now and he could see into those green irises; he could feel the white sheet against his thighs as Dean lifted one of his legs up to rest against his shoulder, making the stretch slightly easier. 

“Are you-” Dean muttered, Castiel didn’t let him finish, he pulled his face down to his own and kissed his lips as hard as he could, a resounding yes and Dean pushed in. 

The initial pressure almost made Cas want to shout for it to stop, but then he remembered that he trusted Dean, that he wanted this, that this was-it _is_ everything. 

“You okay, Cas?” Dean was breathless as he huffed against Cas’ cheek. Castiel cleared his throat and nodded; for a brief moment he was afraid he might have an asthma attack, it wouldn’t be unheard of. But he was allowed a moment to shift beneath Dean, to adjust to the pressure, to take in the feeling of being filled.

Castiel used his own cheek to work Dean’s face down so he could align his mouth with Dean’s ear, he bit lightly at the earlobe before he whispered, “You can keep going.” 

Dean obeyed Cas’ request, or demand, whatever it was, he obeyed it. He kept going, and going. The sheet around them got even more twisted and Dean wasn’t sure where it ended and he began as he surrounded himself with Castiel. His sight, his scent, his feeling, all was Cas, and all was good. He was thoroughly imbued with Castiel, and it was magnificent.

He didn’t want the words to spill from his lips in the throes of passion, it was too common and unfeeling. It happened all the time, so he bit his lip hard, almost to the point of drawing blood as he spilled into Castiel, to stop himself from telling him how much he cared. He didn’t want it to happen then, not now, not yet. 

A slickness had filled the space between them and Dean could hardly hold himself up anymore and allowed himself to drop to the side, to disconnect their fusion, and to pull Castiel against him. Their breathing was labored, heavy. But their faces were smiling, Castiel laughed. 

“What?” Dean asked, sucking in a breath through his nose in an effort to slow his breathing. 

“I wasn’t expecting that.” Cas sighed against him, “Quite the surprise.” 

“But it was a good surprise, right?” Dean asked, Castiel laughed again. 

“Yes.” He tilted his head back to look into green eyes, “A very good one.” He shifted slightly and managed to untangle the sheet from around their legs and pulled it up and over, shrouding them in warmth again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this fic doesn't need long smutty sex scenes... Just some nice sweet fluffy ones!


	12. Aquaman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam leaves and Dean makes a confession, as well as a decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst... some fluff, BUT ANGST... Sorry.
> 
> Also this is the weirdest chapter/song title yet... Like... What? Aquaman? It's about diving headfirst into the ocean, meaning like... Into the relationship, into love and shit... So Yeah... Hey!

“Stanford is just a short plane right away.” 

 “Or a ridiculously long road trip.” 

 “Dean-”

 “Seriously, Sammy, it’s like two whole days of driving.” 

 “Dean, would you just hug me and tell me that you’ll see me soon?” 

 “No.” 

 “Seriously?”

 “Who’s gonna save my ass now?”

 “You can always teach Cas how to use a gun.” 

 “Jerk.” 

 “Bitch.” 

 “Alright, enough with the chick flick moment, c’mere.” Castiel watched from inside the Impala as Dean pulled his brother close and after a back pat and a few more seconds of embrace that he would never admit to, Dean let his littlest brother go. Castiel had already said his goodbyes with both Sam and Jess before he got back into the car and Jess turned her back to give the Winchester boys some privacy. Dean leaned against the side of the car and watched his brother walk hand-in-hand with Jess into the airport terminal. Then he turned around, climbed inside his car, interlaced his fingers with Castiel’s and turned the key in the ignition. Baby came to life with a low purr and then Dean pulled away, effectively leaving behind one of the most important parts of his life. 

Cas knew not to ask if Dean was okay, not yet at least. He’d talk about it when he wanted to; right now Castiel was fine listening to classic rock playing quietly in the background, and watching the scenery pass by.

Dean reached across the car and snaked his fingers through Castiel’s and squeezed, Cas returned the pressure and glanced over at him, smiling lightly before he turned back to look out the window. 

Dean breathed in deeply and turned onto his street, the one leading to his house. Cas looked over at him, confused, his brow furrowed, head tilted in that way he loved. Dean smiled at him; it confused Cas further. 

“Where are we going?” He asked, though he knew, his eyes still widened as they stopped in front of Dean’s house. John’s truck was in the driveway. Dean let out a shaky breath. 

“I’m going to say goodbye to my father.” Dean shrugged, but first I want to tell you a story. 

“Why-” Cas began to ask, but Dean closed the distance between them and kissed him quiet.  

“Just... Listen, okay?” He said, it wasn’t irritated, his tone was light and happy. But the seriousness behind their current location was not lost on either of them. John could walk out at any second, he could go ballistic, he could hurt one or both of them. Cas squeezed Dean’s hand again, a message to go ahead and talk. What he wanted to tell him was completely unknown to the younger man; it made his heart race with anticipation. 

“This house, it’s hard for me to leave it behind, you know?” Dean said, his question was obviously rhetorical, Castiel gave him a reassuring smile before glancing forward towards the house in question, “I was born here, grew up here... This place is all I have left of my mom,” He let out a shaky breath, “When I was four, I woke up in the middle of the night and wanted soup. It was stupid, and I still blame myself for it, to this day... I got out of bed, went downstairs... My dad was passed out in front of the TV, I tried to wake him, he just grunted and rolled over... So I walked into the kitchen and turned on the stove; it was just bad luck, really. Everything happened so fast, the fire, the running, the shouting. I don’t even know how my father managed to wake up in time to get me and Sammy out. He was about to go back in to get my mother when-” 

Dean cut off and bit back tears, he hadn’t spoken about his mothers death in such detail out loud in a long time. Castiel ran a hand over his cheek, wiped away a few tears he hadn’t realized spilled over. 

“You don’t have to-” Cas started to say but Dean shook his head. 

“No I do, you told me-” Dean sucked in an unsteady breath, “I want to.” He said, a small smile playing on his lips though the pang in his heart made him want to turn away, “I want to share everything with you Cas, no secrets between us. I love you too much to keep anything from you. You should know my story, as I know yours.” 

Dean watched the expressions cross Castiel’s face, it went from surprised to amazed to something else that Dean suspected was pure adoration, into pure joy, his gummy grin spread across his face and Dean returned the smile.

“You love me.” He said, it wasn’t a question, it was a statement of fact, Dean nodded. 

“I do.” He half shrugged, trying to make it less of a big deal, but Cas laughed slightly as he reached over and pulled Dean’s face toward him. He rested their foreheads together and closed his eyes, Dean did the same. 

“You know I love you as well.” He stated, Dean smiled. 

“I do.” 

“Do you want to continue your story?” Castiel asked after a moment of silently resting against each other. 

“I think the rest is kind of self explanatory.” Dean sniffed and sat back, staring down at their intwined hands, “We rebuilt the house after, Dad wanted to keep it as a reminder of her. So it’s hard for me to leave it, but...” He looked from the house back to Castiel, “No place is going to be home for me now if you’re not there.” 

Castiel shook his head in disbelief as he smiled across at Dean. He’d never felt so incredibly whole, it was going to take some getting used to. 

“So you want to go... Say goodbye?” Cas asked, Dean nodded. 

“But I want you to come with me.” His tone was suddenly very serious, his eyes narrowed, jaw hardened. Castiel’s heart picked up it’s pace and his hand wanted to go for his inhaler instinctively. Dean squeezed his hand before letting go and sliding to the driver’s door, “Will you?” 

He couldn’t speak, so he nodded instead. His stomach was bubbling with nerves as he opened the door and stepped out of the car. Dean met him around the back and their hands met again automatically. They walked side by side into the house. 

“Dad?” Dean called out into the seemingly empty house. John Winchester stepped into the hall after a minute, his arm was in a sling and his eyes were slightly glossed over, he wasn’t drunk, but he was hopped up on medication. 

“Dean?” He asked, confused. His own jaw hardened when he looked down at Dean and Castiel’s joined hands, “What do you want?” 

“I just-” Dean breathed deep, stepping forward with Cas in tow, “I wanted to introduce you to Cas.” 

“Ok, and?” John made no move to shake Castiel’s hand or greet him in any way, he wastrying his best to not even look at him. 

“And to say goodbye, because if you can’t accept this-” Dean motioned between himself and Cas, “Then this is the last time you’ll see me.” 

“Dean, I-” John sighed and with his good arm, ran his hand over his face. He looked broken when his eyes met Dean’s. For the first time since arriving, he looked at Castiel, their eyes met and Cas’ heart leapt. His hand found his pocket and ran over the lump there. When he looked back at his son, they both knew what he was about to say, “I can’t.” 

Castiel felt Dean’s resolve break, he saw his shoulders slump, and his grip on Cas’ hand lessen. Castiel held on, however, as Dean nodded and then gathered himself once more, finding his composure he stared down his father and nodded once. 

“Alright.” Dean rasped and cleared his throat. John Winchester looked like a man in pieces as Dean half shrugged and said, “Goodbye.” He didn’t spare his father another glance as he turned his back on him and headed for the door, Castiel, however, did. His eyes met John’s again, the eldest Winchester nodded once at him and smiled sadly before his and Dean’s joined hands pulled him towards the door. 

They left the house and got back into the Impala. Dean started the car and drove away from his childhood and all remaining ties to his mother. It broke Cas’ heart, and he hoped that one day John would come around, that Dean would forgive him. That they could be a family again. 

The tears had stopped by the time they reached Cas’ house. Dean gave Bobby a call to tell him what happened. Bobby reassured him that he’d always have a place at his house, Dean thanked him and they got out of the car. Dean finally brought his bags into Castiel’s house that night. Cas gave him two drawers and some closet space. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God this was so short, I'm so sorry... And I'm sorry for not updating, and I'm just the worst. Oops!

**Author's Note:**

> P.S. I don't know what made me choose Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. I've never been there... I just know it's a nice place that may or may not be the setting of a screenplay I'm writing. Based on a friends summer romance. Plus, the name, Rehoboth, is so fun! (Also, DELAWARE, NO SALES TAX! AYYY)
> 
> If you're from there, and are like, "Woah, this bitch don't know what she's talkin about!" let me know, I'll apologize and move on. Criminal Minds has episodes set where I live all the time, they once had an episode that "took place" in the local mall, and they made it two levels... Our mall is not two levels... Things mess up, we move on. 
> 
> THANK YOU FOR READING!


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